Imaginary Friends
by DaeDreemer
Summary: AU. N-JCB Story. A mysterious pendant gives our royal four a glimpse into their futures.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: This is a supernatural/future fic and it's meant to be a little on the cracky side. I hope you enjoy. (P.S. I know I have a lot WiP's going on, but this is the last one for a while, nothing new multi-chaptered till everything get's finished, ;)) Thank you for reading!

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"This is not my fault."

"Of _course_ it's your fault!"

"Blair—"

"It is completely his fault Serena!" The brunette spits and Serena can't see in the darkness of the closet, but she knows her best friend's eyes are shining angrily.

Serena sighs. "Not completely, B," She admits quietly.

They're locked in a room. A closet. All four of them. Locked inside one little room.

"It was my idea." Serena confesses a beat later.

"And I helped too," Nate says softly.

"_What?" _

Her shriek makes them all wince. "You ALL_ plotted_ against me!?" She shouted.

"We weren't plotting against you, B," Serena explains sweetly, "We just thought that maybe…"

"You were being an unreasonable bitch," Chuck offers balefully, "And could use a moment to make it up to me."

"Chuck!" Serena snaps.

"If _anyone _is being a bitch in this relationship, it isn't me, mister!" She yells in his direction.

The power had gone out; they were all hazy outlines of shadows to one another, voice coming from different parts of the room.

"Okay, let's just calm down," Nate offers, reaches out his hand to find the doorknob.

"It's locked, Nathaniel," Chuck states, his voice coming from the far side of the room— and low on the ground, "That was kind of the point."

"Did you _sit down?"_

"Blair, lay off him." Serena snaps as she lowers herself to the ground too.

The room is silent. This is where they are; all home. August, 2009. And everything is so outwardly-perfect it burns.

Serena can't find her father; even with Carter, who helps her because she's beautiful and _Serena Van der Woodsen_ (and having her indebted to him opens up all sorts of worlds) because her father doesn't want her to find him. He doesn't want to face her. It breaks her heart and hardens it.

Nate hated backpacking through eastern Europe the way he hated sitting through Breakfast at Tiffany's for the five-hundred-and-seventy-fifth time—a low simmer in a pool of resentment as he grinned through and bore it. Vanessa's already planning another South American _adventure_ for December.

Blair knows in the way she knows that she and Serena will never shine in the same way that if she and Chuck do not strike a balance this summer, they will never strike it at all. She pushes and pulls and demands and concedes in an elaborate, summer-long pattern designed to prepare them for the Fall (forever); it's only now she is seeing that maybe she should have left things as they were.

Chuck feels like a performer for the Cirque du Soleil; a world watching him with rapt attention, no safety net in sight, and one wrong move could bring certain death. Blair is ice and flame and for once he doesn't have the time to pick up the intent, the gambit, only knows that he is falling behind in the game.

Serena had come home with a brittle smile and tales of sunbathing with Carter Baizon on his yacht.

Nate and Vanessa held hands and avoided eye contact as they rode a taxicab from JFK airport to Williamsburg.

Chuck and Blair fought and made-up and made-out and fought and told one another they loved each a dozen times a week. It's who they are, what they do— and both pretended they didn't see the fraying edges of their relationship, didn't wonder how long they could keep this up.

He leaves her on a helipad again.

And his reason is almost as unforgivable as it was the first time.

He forgot.

Forgot that they'd planned another trip, that he was supposed to meet her there, forgot his phone in his desk during the meeting, forgot that he was eighteen and not twenty-eight…

She hadn't spoken to him in a week. And Chuck was getting tired of being behind in the game… was beginning to wonder why she couldn't slow down.

Blair was afraid of what she'd find if she did.

_I'll help you make it up to her. _

Serena had offered to the brother she barely saw. And when she and Nate had shown up at his office one blisteringly hot day early this week— he'd listened and agreed.

Quiet time.

I'm sorry.

A gift.

I love you.

It was simple. If only, she'd see him, which she wouldn't. So they said they'd help him. Get Blair somewhere with him, alone, keep her there; all he had to do was show up with the words and the gift.

_Something special, _Serena had told him.

Special.

"You didn't like it?" He asks her in the still room. His voice sounding oddly loud in the quiet room.

There's beads of sweat dripping from his hair down the side of his face. He imagines they're all suffering from the same affliction.

Blair huffs, she's still standing on the other side of the room. "If you think one measly little pendant necklace is going to make up for you _forgetting _me on _that _helipad than you—"

"It was my mother's."

That shut her up.

"Oh."

Blair winces, glad for the darkness suddenly that would hide the flush of her cheeks.

"You can give it back if you don't want it."

"She's not going to give it back," Serena snaps.

"_What _is your problem," Blair hisses in her direction.

"I don't—"

"You've been like this since you got back! You're biting my head off for every little thing!"

"It's not a little thing."

"I wasn't going to give it back!"

"Would you two stop," Nate growled, "It's hot enough in here as it is without having you two yelling." He jiggles the knob again, pounds on the door, calls out _hello _and _anybody out there _and _Eric! _Until Chuck tells him to shut-up.

"There's no one out there," Serena reminds Nate, "That was the point, remember? They'll be back in the morning and then we'll hear them come in."

"So the plan was what?" Blair asks carefully. "To what? Lock me in here with Chuck? And what then?"

"And then I'd say I'm sorry, give you the measly pendant, tell you I love you, and we could make-out."

"Oh."

"I didn't _mean _to forget. I'm _busy."_

"Maybe you could get an assistant," Nate suggests.

"I have two."

"A personal one."

"Blair said no to a personal assistant."

"Only because you wanted to pick one out from Playboy."

"What's wrong with that? A lot of those girls are working their way through school."

Nate laughs a little and the room slips into silence again, less stifling this time. A good thing, since the heat was stifling enough, "I don't really think it's measly, you know." Blair says softly.

"Oh god," Serena groans, the sound followed by the rustling of clothes as she took off the vest she'd been wearing, "You two give me a headache." She mutters.

"I just didn't get a good look at it," Blair continues as if her best friend hadn't spoken, "Before the power went out and the wind blew…" Blair paused, then turns her head in Serena's direction, "Hey, S… where did the wind _come _from?" She wonders suddenly.

They blink at each other in the darkness. Blair had latched onto Serena's arm when Serena had propelled her into the closet and Nate hadn't wanted to leave the blonde there, with them. So Chuck had given Blair the gift box and she'd opened it immediately, while yelling at Chuck, even as Serena had tried to disentangle herself from Blair's arm and Nate had tried to tug her out of the room.

A wind had slammed the door shut behind them though, followed closely by the flickering of the overhead light, and then its disappearance.

"I don't… know?" Serena's voice is soft, a little confused, like she'd just gone over it all again, and it wasn't adding up. "Did you either of see a window open?"

"No," Chuck answers immediately and he's standing then, "I didn't actually."

"And it's not been that hot," Blair says carefully, "It's hot in here, now, but it's not been _that _hot… not like last year's power outage…"

"Are you sure you didn't see an open widow," Serena asks.

"All I saw was the spark," Nate adds.

"The spark?" Serena's standing now too. They're coming closer together in a circle now, their eyes accustomed enough to the dark that they make out one another faces. "What spark?"

"The… spark…" Nate says again as if he's clarifying, "You know, before the outage…"

"I didn't see a spark," Serena says, shaking her head.

"From the light fixture?" Chuck asks.

"Um… no… not…" Nate trails off, starts over, "While you two were yelling… when Blair picked up the necklace… and you were shouting and Serena was trying to calm you down… and there was—"

"A spark, yes, Nate, we get that," Blair snaps, "From where? The light fixture? The light switch? Where?"

"I…"

They couldn't see him clearly, but they all knew he was frowning in consternation.

"It didn't… come from either…" he says slowly, "It looked like it came from…"

Again he trails off and they could see his shadow run a hand through his hair.

"From where?" Serena prods.

"From the box, Blair's hand…"

There was silence for a moment and then Blair shoves the gift box she was still holding at Chuck's chest, "You _booby _trapped me!" She snarls at him.

"Oh my god." Serena breathes on a sigh.

"No!" Chuck shouts, "It's just a _box,_" he hisses, then turns to Nate, "You saw wrong."

"I didn't!" Nate defends and then adds less heatedly, "I think… I mean it doesn't… make sense, does it…?"

"Not unless he's trying to kill me!"

Serena sighs, touches Blair's arm. "He's not trying to kill you, Blair."

"Why are you always taking his side!" She jerks back.

"I'm not! I just—"

But Serena never finishes her sentence, never will.

Because the door swings open just then, flooding the room with bright sunlight. And a child pokes her head inside, scans her gaze over the space they're occupying and then shouts over her shoulder, "Not in here either!"

And then she retreats as abruptly as she'd appeared.

For a hairsbreadth the room is completely still and then Blair speaks, voice hushed, "Wha—what was that?"

"A kid." Nate answers carefully.

"YES. Nate. _That _I saw," she growls back.

"Sis? Lily hasn't adopted anyone else and say, forgotten to mention it? Has she?"

"N—no." Serena says, shaking her head, moving towards the door the girl had left open.

"Wait!" Blair shouts, grabs her friend's hand. "That girl… she didn't even…"

"_See _us," Chuck finishes when Blair trails off.

They all think about that for a moment, about what that might mean, and then Nate says carefully, "It was dark in here…"

"The point is why is she even here?" Serena demands suddenly and pulls free.

The girl had left the door slightly ajar and she pushed it open, stepped through it and then screamed.

The other three tumble out after her, hearts pounding in their chests. Had there been a robbery? Were there dead bodies? Were Lily and Rufus kissing?

But they stumbled to a frozen stop.

They were not in the Van der Woodsen apartment where Serena had lured Blair with the promise of croissants and Roman Holiday while Chuck laid in wait.

They were in a living room, bright, airy, large; furnished with mahogany and shades of crème and lavender. Immense bay windows dominated one side of the room, wide open to reveal a bright blue, cloudless sky at odds with the evening sky they had all traveled under.

"Oh my fucking god," Blair spits, eyes wide in her face.

"Was there any… like did we…" Nate stammers.

Chuck is silent for a beat, then takes a step forward, "This is bad."

"We're hallucinating," Serena offers quietly, voice hoarse; turning around to take it all in.

The closet door was behind them, to the right the room opened into a wide hallway, to the left more open space and furnishings, in front of them an entire living quarter big enough for them to know they weren't in an apartment in the city.

"All of us?" Nate asks of Serena's assertion— and then nods, answering his own questioning. "Ye—yeah…"

"The heat," the blonde continues, stepping closer to him, "The heat is… and we're…"

"We _died._" Blair gasps.

"We're not dead." Chuck retorts instantly.

"Not dead!?" Blair shouts as if it's the most inconceivable thing she's ever heard, "Of _course _we! That girl looked right _through _us! And we're shouting!"

"You're shouting," Nate points out quietly.

"And no one's coming!" She shouts even more loudly, "Because they can't _hear _us! Because we're _dead!" _

Chuck takes three steps towards Blair, wraps an arm around her waist, and pulls her to him for a kiss so full throttle, Nate and Serena look away in embarrassment.

When Chuck pulls back, Blair is still in his hold, eyes blinking open dazedly.

"Does that feel like we're dead to you?" He asks her lazily, a smirk in his eyes.

She's still for another heartbeat and then she shoves him, hard, in the shoulder, away from her, "Get off me! Don't you kiss— don't you _touch _me, you gigantic Basshole! I haven't _forgiven _you! You _forgot _me!"

Chuck huffs, frustration washing over his face, "For fuckssake, Blair, I didn't forget _you_!"

"Just that you were supposed to _be _with me!"

"That's different!"

"I _refuse _to be an afterthought, Chuck Bass!"

"Would you two SHUT-UP!" Serena shouts, "Don't you think we have _bigger _things to worry about!?"

"She's right, guys… I mean… _are _we dead?"

Chuck rolled his eyes, "We're not dead. We didn't all die."

"We could have. You don't know everything there is to know about everything, Bass."

"I know we didn't die because of a power outage!"

"Maybe it had to do with the spark I saw," Nate offers, "Maybe there was an explosion…!"

Chuck takes a deep breath. "We are not dead. We are just…"

"Hallucinating," Serena says.

Blair arch's an eyebrow at them both, "All of us? Together? The same thing?"

"Well if we were dead we wouldn't all be together either," Serena snaps.

Blair scowls at her, "You're right— for once. I wouldn't be lumped in with you…" her eyes skim to Chuck, "Or _him." _

"What is wrong with you two?" Nate wonders as Serena's mouth opens to reply.

"If we don't find him, we're dead."

Any reply the blonde had been about to give was cut off as the young girl they'd seen earlier turns into the room from the hallway.

She's about seven, maybe eight years old; bright auburn hair pulled up into a messy chignon, strands falling around her face; wearing pale green shorts and a bright yellow tang top that displays long, skinny arms tanned golden. She's with a boy of a similar age this time, sandy-blonde hair cut short and sticking up in tufts, white shorts and a pale green polo shirt that matches the color of the girl's shorts exactly; his face is set in determined lines, eyes narrowed.

"We'll find him," he's saying to her.

"Yeah, but _when? _We're running out of time!?" The girl hisses and then together they start to cross the room, right to the four of them— and right _through _the four of them.

Serena shrieks again and this time Blair joins her, Nate says _holy shit _just as Chuck's hissing _fuck, _but it's all over in less than half a second…

The children already nearing a staircase the four friends hadn't noticed before, running up it as they snipe at each other heatedly.

"I think I'm going to faint," Blair says a moment later when they've been left in utter silence.

No one else speaks for a long time and then Chuck moves to the sofa and lays his hand on it. _On _it. His hand doesn't go through it.

"I can feel this."

Nate nods, understanding what Chuck means, "And I tried to open the door."

"And we leaned against the wall in the closet," Serena continues.

Blair releases a slow breath, "They just walked _through _us."

Serena moves to the sofa, touches it hesitantly, and then perches on the arm of it slowly, blows out a breath, "I need to sit."

"This is… implausible," Chuck mutters very lowly.

"Maybe we're all high?" Nate offers, "Maybe there's like… something in the closet like…"

"Mold?" Blair asks, eyes brightening, "Maybe we're all passed out! And… and…"

"Hallucinating? The same thing?" Serena says, voice tinged with bite.

Blair shrugs, meets her best friend's gaze, "Not all your conclusions are terrible."

Serena rolls her eyes, "Fine. So we're passed out and hallucinating in one of the downstairs hall closets. Great."

They all ignored the obvious holes in that conclusion.

"You couldn't even have tried to lock me up with him in _your _closet," Blair huffs.

"No," Serena huffs back, "Nate and I were going to watch movies in there."

"Are you joking! You lock me up with _him _and then you—"

"Would it really have been the worst thing in the world?" Chuck's soft question cuts her off and she whirls to face him.

"Yes!" She shouts, "It completely would have! Because I don't _want _to forgive you, Chuck! Even if I _do, _I still don't want to! And being stuck like I probably would have and—"

"Jeez, Blair," it's Nate who cuts in now, frowning at her, "It's not that big a deal, he made a mistake; it's not like—"

"Stay out of this Nate! You're a relationship fruit-fly! And he _forgot _me."

Chuck releases growl-like breath, "I didn't for—"

"_Already!_"

The shouted admission gives it all away.

Chuck stares at her, takes a step towards her, "Blair…"

She shakes her head, says, "_Don't," _in a too quiet, too hurt voice as she steps back.

"You can bring Candice if you'd like to."

All four of them stiffen; heads turning in the direction of the hallway again.

It's Blair.

There's no doubt about it. Her hair is shorter, highlighted, styled very straight; she's wearing fitted tan slacks that end just at her knee, high-heeled sandals, and a form, fitting lacy top in a creamy shade of rose pink.

And she's older. Her face matured in a way the Blair's they're standing with hasn't yet; the profile the same, the beauty still there, but the contours different somehow.

She's with a boy, an early teen, fourteen or fifteen years old; short, blonde hair styled into spikes and a perfectly pressed light blue, collared shirt tucked into long, dark gray pants.

He's shaking his head, a twinkle in his blue eyes, "Wouldn't want her to get any ideas."

Blair laughs, rolls her eyes upwards, "That's girl's had ideas since the day you met her."

He laughed, "Of course. But _I _didn't give them to her," he says.

Blair shakes her head, "Have you seen the others? Dorota tells me Gail sent them to get dressed an hour ago, but I haven't seen them…"

They're walking across the room too; like the younger children had— and this time all four of them jump out of the way. Being walked _through _once was enough, thank you very much.

But all four of them keep their eyes glued to the forms casually walking towards the staircase.

"Cash isn't coming."

"Oh. Isn't he?" There's a threatening tone in her voice as they start up.

And the boy's laughter drifts around them as the two disappear into the second floor.

Blair actually sways when her doppelganger is out of sight. The world spinning around her and no breath in her lungs because what she just saw wasn't possible.

Wasn't_ possible._

Chuck's hands are on her arms and she turns into him, presses her face into his shoulder, and closes her eyes as she whispers, "_Jesus." _

"What…" Serena's question trails off, voice bewildered, because this was stranger than them all hallucinating the same thing.

"Maybe we **are** dead," Nate whispers, "Maybe the spark was an explosion."

"Would stop with the goddamn spark, Nathaniel!" Chuck snaps, arms wrapped around Blair, who has yet to lift her head.

"There was nothing in that box but the pendant and that thing _wasn't _booby trapped! It's a fuckin' _antique._"

"I know what I saw!"

"Stop it!" Serena yells eyes wide, "From this second forward no more arguing, we need to figure out what's going and how to—to… stop it or reverse it or fix it… or wake-up… or whatever… but we can't do it if we're all at each other's throats. So not one more argued word, understood!?"

The boys stare at her for a moment and then Blair's head lifts.

"That was _me…"_ Her voice shakes and Serena's shouting demeanor melts away.

She's nodding at her best friend and taking a step towards her when the children stampede down the steps again. The girl in front, the boy two steps behind, frazzled expressions more visible.

"We can't hide from Mom," the boy is saying, "She'll have us found and then we'll be in even more trouble, let's just—"

"Don't be _logical _at me, Harmon!" The girl snits shooting him a look over his shoulder.

"Maybe we should ask Liam to—"

"No! I'm not asking Liam _anything." _She snaps stopping at the foot of the stairs to glare at him.

He shrugs at her, "Maybe we could just confess, he'll come out if Mom calls him."

"Are you kidding!? Do you _want _me to be shipped to Sweeden!?"

"Maybe you could stop being so bitchy then!"

She freezes, "I'm not!"

"You are! And I'm not the one who lost him, so don't take it out on me!" The boy accuses.

"I didn't _lose _him, I just…"

"Yelled at him, you know he hates to be yelled at."

She blew out a breath, ran the back of her hand across her perfectly trimmed bangs, "Look—"

"There you two are."

Blair's perfectly modulated voice fills the room again, she's standing at the top of the staircase, looking down at them.

Horror and guilt flashes across their faces for an instant and then both expressions clear.

"Yep! Here we are!"

"Yes! Hi!"

Blair descends slowly and they can all see the amusement glimmering in her eyes. There's no doubt she's aware that they're hiding something.

"I need you both to dress, they should be here in less than hour," she says when she reaches them.

"Oh yeah, of course," the boy says shooting her a smile. Blair smiles back, reaches out to touch his hair.

"And you?" She says of the girl.

"I'm dressed."

"You most certainly are," Blair agrees, "I ought to have clarified, dress _appropriately."_

The child huffs, eyes rolling up the ceiling.

"I selected a lovely sundress for you— pale yellow, you'll look beautiful," Blair tells her sweetly, reaches out and tucks a strand of the girl's hair behind her ear.

The girl bristles, shrugs her off.

Blair smiles even wider, "Have either of you seen…"

Both children tense.

"Cash?"

There's a pause and then, "Oh," the boy says on a breath, relief all over his face, "Um… he's out by the pool-house."

Blair nods, turns towards the far side of the room, "I'll have Gail get him then, you two back upstairs."

They're relaxing when she stops, turns to look over her shoulder, "You'll both make sure Sunny's dressed as well, yes?" _When you find him, _was implicit.

"Uh yeah…"

"Of course…"

Blair nods, a smirk playing around her lips as she runs gaze over the children one last time, and then she's walking away.

The children watch her in silence and then turn to each other.

"She knows," the boy says quietly.

"You don't know that… she could just have…"

"She knows." He says again, firmly this time. "Let's just—"

"I'm not doing it."

And the four blink, because there was a shift in subject there, abrupt and a little too hard for a girl that young. The boy picks it up as smoothly as the girl had dropped it randomly.

"She's gonna get here whether you change or not."

"Don't psycho-analyze me, Harm! That's Doc Greg's job!"

"I'm not! I'm just saying—"

"Well, stop saying and help me look!"

"My Mom said to get dressed."

The girl rolls her eyes, "Fine. Listen to _Mommy _and _you _go get dressed." She says on a huff and then storms off towards where they're standing. They move back, to let her pass on her way out of the room.

The boy stands still; and for a moment, he looks positively heartbroken— and then he scowls darkly in her direction before turning around stomping up the steps.

Blair blows out a long breath; Serena does the same. Chuck and Nate stare into the empty room… this was insane, surreal, _impossible. _

"Okay," Blair says firmly, "Serena, follow the girl, I'll trail myself, you two go after that boy. We can't stand around here and just wait for—"

"No," Chuck's voice is hard as he cuts into her explanation.

Blair draws up short and then sends him a scathing look, "Excuse me."

"We don't split up," Chuck adds.

"He's right, B."

"Oh would you stop!" Blair hisses, "Enough with the taking his side!"

"I'm _not!_ I'm just be logical about—_" _

"Guys, this is arguing," Nate points out.

"How helpful of you to draw attention to it, Nathaniel."

"We can't just stand here!" Blair shouts, "We have to do something… this can't be happening, but it is, so we have to…"

"Fix it," Serena finishes for her, nodding.

"Exactly," Chuck adds, "Together. Or are you in a rush to get back to… where we're supposed to be, without the three of us?"

She scowls at him, "It would certainly be more peaceful!"

"Blair!" Nate cries, sounding aghast, "You don't mean that."

"Of _course _I don't." She snaps instantly.

"Right, so let's go after other-Blair then," Serena announces and offers her Blair a smile.

Blair's expression eases and she lets Serena slip her arm into the crook of her elbow. They set off together in the direction the older Blair had walked off in, the boys a pace behind them.

It's a smaller living room they step into; lined with bookshelves and filled with plush looking furniture; cozy, warm even. The sort of room you could envision spending a rainy afternoon in.

Chuck walks through it to peer around the doorway and then informs them all that, "She's not there," quietly.

"What is?" Blair asks quietly as she looks around the small room. There was an entire shelf of fairy tales. And an entire shelf of Dr. Seuss. And an entire shelf of sci-fi thrillers. And an entire shelf of romance novels.

It was as baffling as everything else she'd seen.

"Dining room," Chuck answers, "I think it goes around to the kitchen, which goes around back to that living room."

The others nod, "So what do we do?" Nate wonders when the silence stretches.

"Maybe go upstairs?" Serena suggests slowly, giving a small shrug to go with her words.

"This is ridiculous," Blair hisses, turning away from the books and waving her hands in a frustrated gesture, "Everyone just… close your eyes, take a deep breath, and _wake-up." _

"Oh and that's not ridiculous." Chuck snaps.

"Why _would _it be?"

"Because we didn't close our eyes and take a deep breath to _get _here, Blair, so why—"

"No _your _pendant brought us here!"

"According to _Nathaniel!" _

"Hey! That's not what I sai—"

"Shhhh!"

They all freeze.

Because that hadn't come from any of them; they exchange glances none of them will ever admit were frightened.

And then it's Blair who takes a deep breath and says, "Hello?"

There's silence. They look around the room; exchange another round of glances and they're all sure they didn't imagine it.

"Is anyone…" Blair trails off, feels silly and frightened, and is standing next to Chuck before she really means to be.

"Shhh!" Comes again and the bottom cupboard of one the shelves opens and a small, golden-blonde head peeks out, bright blue eyes gone round, and a finger to his lips, "Shh," he repeats, "They'll hear you."

"You can see us!?" Blair squeaks.

He frowns at her, finger away from his lips, bottom one puckered out a little, "You look like—"

"Sunny!"

It's Blair's voice again, the other Blair, coming up behind them and they jump out of her way to avoid being walked through. "There you are! What are you— oh get out of there!"

The child sighs dramatically, but he's grinning when he pushes the cupboard all the way open and slips out.

Blair's kneeling down, reaching for him, to help him out and then leaves her hands on his little arms. He's wearing a pale blue t-shirt with a darker blue sail boat printed on it. His shorts are white and the dark, blue sail boat is replicated in miniature version at the right corner of them. His sneakers have an incongruous orange cartoon character on the front that none of them have ever seen before—and they're dirty.

"You need to change, baby, you're mommy's almost here."

He nods and then looks directly at Serena, extending a finger to point right at her, "She looks like Mommy!"

Blair looks over her shoulder, gaze unfocused, because there's nothing there for her to see. "Who does, baby?"

"Her!" He says excitedly, "And she looks like _you, _Auntie B!"

Blair's gaze follows the boy's gesture, but still there's nothing there. So she takes the little hand in hers, lowering it, and standing up. "Let's go upstairs and see what Gail's laid out for you, shall we?"

He shrugs at her, smiling, "Sure!"

"And on the way, you can tell me what you were doing inside the bookcase."

"Oh, hiding from Gracie," he says simply, as they turn to leave the room. He turns back towards them, "Do you want to see my room?" He asks them.

They were statues; had been since the kid had pointed at Serena and said _mommy _but now Chuck steps forward and nods, "Yes."

"Oh good, come on then…"

"Sunny, baby" the older Blair says, her voice very quiet, careful, "Who are you talking to?"

The boy giggles, tugs on her hand, "Them!" He says with emphasis, pointing behind himself and her, "Right there…"

"Baby, there's nothing there," she tells him softly, smoothing his silky blonde hair with her other hand.

He looks up at her with impossibly wide, guileless eyes, "Yes, there is."

She looks very worried for about another breath and then it's gone from her face and she smiles at him, "And why were you hiding from Gracie?" She redirects.

They're climbing the stairs now, the four of them behind this little boy who sees them and this older Blair who doesn't.

"Oh, she was being a bitc—"

"Simon!" Blair says sharply, cutting off the word.

He stops speaking and looks up at her again, "Yes?"

"Do not call her— _that._"

"Liam said it."

"Well, Liam will be hearing from me about that," Blair says firmly.

They're walking down a wide hallway now, painted in a creamy beige color, decorated with pictures of… _them. _

Nate stops walking to stare at a picture of himself holding a little girl with brown curls and bright blue eyes in his arms. She's upside down in his hold and they're grinning widely at the camera. He can't tear his eyes away from it, until Serena takes his hand and pulls him.

Chuck and Blair are holding hands too; standing in a big room, painted in varying shades of blue and yellow, toys littering the floor, trucks and building blocks and something that looks like a laser gun.

There was a galaxy mural painted across an entire two walls and up the ceiling of the room, it was amazing.

So was this older Blair who had already stripped the little boy of shirt and shorts and sneakers. He was standing on top of the bed chattering at her, "… and then she told me to run before she got her hands on me so I did and then she slammed the door shut, really hard, Auntie B, and then I got mad and went and kicked it and then she opened it again and had the crazy look so I ran'ned away and then I hid because she was supposed to be _watchin' _me and I wanted you to yell at her."

"How old do you think he is?" Serena asks Nate quietly as they move to stand just behind Chuck and Blair.

"I'm four!" He says brightly, turning to look at them, "Almost five!"

"I know you are, baby," Blair says as she moves towards a panel on the wall, "Dorota, would you please send Gail up here. And remind her of what her job _is, _please. These children have been running amok for two _hours _at least."

"Oh, yes, Miss Blair."

"Thank you," Blair says sweetly and turns back to Sunny, "And you, please don't hide from the adults; find other ways to express yourself, okay, baby. It's dangerous," she ruffles his hair gently and he giggles. She pulls him towards her and leans in to press a kiss to his forehead, "You don't want me to be sad, do you?"

He shakes his head, "Oh no."

"Good. So no more hiding…"

He nods, very simply, and says, "Okay…" A beat passes and then he adds, "Are you going to yell at her?"

And Blair laughs a little, "I'm going to have a talk with her."

A dark-haired, woman rushes into the room then, "Ma'am, I'm so sorry, I had to—"

Blair's smile goes icy, but it didn't so much as twitch as she eyes the woman. "Gail, how wonderful to see you; please bring me Sunny's outfit, I will dress him. You, please find Cash and ensure both he and Gracie are dressed appropriately within the half hour."

The woman nods vigorously as she moves to the closet, "Of course," she says and then pulls out a hanger with a neatly pressed ensemble on it. "Here it is."

"Thank you."

"Yes, I do apologize for—"

"It's no problem," Blair's voice is smooth as silk and then her gaze goes back to Sunny, her eyes and smile going warm, "Sunny knows he's not to hide and worry us anymore."

"I do!" The little boy agrees, "I gotta think of other ways to get Gracie in trouble." He proclaims a moment later.

Serena laughs a little at that and the boy's attention goes to her, he grins at her, "I can do it!"

Gail blinks, follows his gaze to the blank wall; but jumps when Blair says steadily, her meaning clear, "Thank you, Gail."

"Yes, Ma'am. Of course," she says quickly.

And the four of them turn towards her as she rushes from the room; the young boy calls out, "Bye-bye!" And then returns his gaze to Serena, "You look like Mommy!" He tells her again.

Serena stares at him with wide eyes, mute. It's the older Blair who speaks, voice gentle as she takes the little boy's chin in one of her hands and turns him towards her, "Baby, there's no one there," she says calmly.

He pouts at her a little, "Yes, there is. She looks like Mommy and then _she_ looks like _you _and then—"

"Sunny, just because your Mommy's not here, doesn't mean you have to make her up okay?" She says to him, "She's coming today and I'm right here, you don't have to pretend."

He nods at her, wisps of blonde hair shifting at the moving, "Oh I know. I'm not."

Blair studies him for another moment and then smiles a little, presses another kiss to his forehead, "Okay then."

They watch as she dresses him in a blue, button down shirt and khaki slacks, slips little white socks on his tiny feet and then small, brown loafers over them. She ties one shoe for him and then leaves the other when he says, "I can do it!"

She nods at him, "Alright, and I can trust you to stay in your room until someone comes to get you?"

He shrugs, "Maybe."

"Sunny."

"Oh okay."

She laughs at him, ruffles his hair, "You need a haircut."

"Uncle Chuck said that this a'morning!" He replies happily, "I get to go with him, he said!"

"Well that's a special treat!" She enthuses and the boy fairly glows as he nods again.

Blair's smile dims a moment later, "Baby… the girl who looks like your Mommy… is she doing anything?"

Sunny's gaze flies to Serena and then back to his Aunt, "No, just watching." He tells her happily.

Blair nods slowly, "Okay… you tell me, if she… does anything."

He smiles, "Okay."

And then the older Blair leaves the room.

The very first thing Sunny does, is jump off his bed and run to the door. They watch him as he peers outside and then he closes it, all the way, until it clicks.

Then he turns to them and looks them over, all four of them, before tilting his head to one side and wondering curiously, "Are you pretend?"

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback! I was (am!) a little anxious about this story, so a special thanks to Jackie (Red Blood Kiss of Death) for all he encouragement. Thank you, hon! :D

This chapter is setting up some of the dynamics and a little more of the plot. I'll be gone for a bit, starting Tuesday, so the next update will be a little while away-- I hope you enjoy this and thank you for reading! :]

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* * *

They stare at the little boy in silence. He's adorable, no question and he waits for them to respond quietly, with an eager expression on his little face. It's Chuck who answers him, "No," he tells the child straightforwardly.

He nods at them, seemingly enraptured, "What are you then? Auntie B can't see you. Or Gail either."

The question on all their minds was what was _he, _but no one said such a thing to this adorable little boy.

Nate manages to shrug a shoulder and say quietly, "We're… lost… I guess."

"Oh!" Sunny says, moving back to his bed and climbing atop it, "I was lost once. At the store. Cash found me."

They stare at him. He stares back, still smiling. When they remain silent he moves to sit on his knees on the bed, "Do you want to color?" He asks them.

They gape. It's not that the request is odd; it's that this is _impossible. _Blair shakes her head, "This can't…" she trails off.

Serena picks it up with, "How did we…" before letting the sentence taper off as well.

"Oh," the boy says, smile faltering, "Are you sad? Do you want to go home?"

"Yes," Nate answers instantly, "We do…"

"You look like my Dad," Sunny says when Nate trails off and then giggles to himself, "It's so funny! You look like Mommy and you look like Auntie B and you look like Dad and you look like Uncle Chuck…" he points at each one of them as he says the names and in turn, they each cringe a bit.

"Whoa! Whoa! I look like _who…?" _Nate snaps, eyes widening, his hands coming up in front of him as if to ward off an attack.

The boy smiles, "My Dad."

Nate shakes his head, frowning, taking a step back, "Wha—what?"

"You look like my Daddy." He repeats.

Nate licks his lips, steps back until he's pressed against a wall, gaping at the child; the room spinning around him because… because… "_What?!"_

"You look like his father, Nathaniel." Chuck says succinctly.

Nate's head is still shaking to the negative. His eyes wide, his brow furrowed, "But…"

"This cannot be happening," Blair whispers again; her eyes wide as well.

"And yet…" Chuck whispers back to her as he brings her hand to his lips for a reassuring kiss, "It is."

"It's _crazy," _Serena says and there's an edge of hysteria to her voice, "We must be crazy… I mean…" she looks at the three of them, turns her body away from the boy even as she motions towards him, "He's saying that I'm— and that Nate is— that he's…" she shakes her head, "It isn't _possible." _

"Like us being invisible," Chuck states.

"A hallucination can't explain this!" She yells at her brother.

"We don't have enough information," he tells her quietly, "We need to… figure out where we are and why… and who _they _are," he finishes, also motioning to the child.

Serena turns back to the boy; he's watching them all interestedly. His bright, blue eyes tracking them as if they were a television show or a particularly fascinating puppet act.

"So you don't want to color then?" Sunny asks them when they remain quiet.

"No— not right now," Serena says very softly, her eyes roving over his little face, her mouth dry.

He's so blonde… hair golden almost, the way hers and Eric's had been when they were very young; it's styled in that mushroom cut she's always loved on little boys and there's something so… familiar about his small face, about the way he puckers his lips and… he… he looks like…

Her eyes slide over to Nate, who is pointedly not looking at the child or at her. They had been holding hands, until the boy had said Nate looked like his _Dad. _

At which point, Serena had snatched her hand away, just as Nate had yanked it forward, because… _oh my god. _

"Okay," he responds agreeable enough to her refusal; and she's beginning to understand why he's called _sunny. _

"Are you here because Mommy's coming home?" He wonders.

Serena swallows, takes a step towards the bed, and then stops, "Are you— sure… that I… that I look like…" she licks her lips, "Like your Mommy?"

"Of course, he's sure," Blair snaps, "Obviously. This is… all this is our…" But the heat in her voice fades and so do her words.

What this was, what all this was, was something they weren't quite ready to come to terms with.

They're all silent for another moment and then it's Chuck who finishes; says, "Our future," in a solemn voice.

"It _can't _be." Nate protests and begins to pace now, "Things like this don't _happen. _It's impossible!"

"Nate," Serena begins, but he doesn't look at her; can't look at her while there's a boy in this room claiming to be _their son. _

"Where did it come from?" Nate asks Chuck, "The pendant."

And Chuck blows out an aggravated breath, "Lay off that, Nathaniel."

"I know what I saw. And it's the only thing that—"

"It won't hurt to try and piece it together, Chuck," Serena inserts.

"We have to figure this out," Blair adds gently, reminding him.

"Figure out what?"

The question startles them all, they weren't _forgetting _about the boy per se; it was more like putting his presence out of their minds—for sanity's sake, however much of that they still had.

"Oh," Serena says quietly, gaze flying to him. He was still sitting on his knees, still watching them with avid interest, a small smile on his face.

"Well…" Blair begins, licking her lips as she moves closer to the bed too, "It's actually a…"

"Funny story…" Serena picks up.

"I like stories!" He says and looks between them expectantly.

She nods at him, "We…"

"How to get home," Nate tells the kid and when those blue eyes shift to look at him it feels like a punch in the gut. _His_ blue eyes, he knows it instinctively; darker than Serena's blue—his dark blue eyes and her golden blonde hair.,,

"We need to uh, figure out how to get back home," he finishes somehow, lips numb almost.

"Are you sure you aren't pretend?" Sunny asks, smiling, "You can tell me, I won't tell. I can keep secrets." He sounds very proud of this fact and Nate gives him a wan smile.

"We're not pretend," Chuck assures the boy, "We're just… invisible."

A supremely skeptical look covers the boy's face, "Nuh-uh, I can _see _you."

Chuck nods, "Yeah, but your… uh, Auntie B, she couldn't."

His bottom lip puckers out and he shifts on the bed to sit on his bottom, "_Why _are you invisible?"

"We don't know." Serena says quietly.

"How come I can see you?"

"We don't know," Blair repeats just as quietly.

"Why do you look like Auntie B?"

Blair swallows, "I don't know."

"Do you know why she looks like Mommy? Or why he looks like Dad? Or why he looks like Uncle Chuck?"

Blair draws in a slow breath, is grateful for the squeeze Chuck gives their joined hands, "No."

Sunny looks at all of them, "Do you know _anything?" _He asks them, sounding like he was about to giggle.

And it makes them smile a little, that question. Serena straightens suddenly and looks to Blair, "Let's show him the pendant."

Chuck sighs roughly, "For the love of—"

"Why?" Blair asks, even as she pats the pocket of her dress. She'd slipped it inside after she'd removed it from the box, wonders now where the box went after she shoved it at Chuck.

"Maybe… Sunny… can help us?" Serena says sweetly and smiles at the boy.

"Oh!" He cries excitedly, "I'm a good helper! Dorota says!"

Blair huffs, but hands the pendant to Serena, "He's _four." _She says doubtfully.

"Almost five!" The boy reminds them happily and there's a stirring of a smile on all their faces.

Serena sits on the bed next to him and he looks up at her. It feels, for a moment, like there's no air in the room.

"You look like Mommy," he repeats for the third time and she hears the thread of longing in his voice then.

"Where is she?" She wonders before she can stop herself.

He shrugs a little, his gaze fastened on her, "Away," he tells her simply and then visibly brightens, "But home today! We're having a party… so I had to dress nice, Auntie B said…"

"Oh…" Serena says quietly, "Sh—she didn't tell you where she was going…?"

"Sure," he says and then repeats, _"Away," _with emphasis.

She smiles a little, not exactly the answer she was looking for, but… there are other things to worry about. She extends her hand to him, shows him the pendant, "We know that it has to do with this—"

"We _don't _know that," Chuck cuts in.

"Have you ever seen this necklace before?" Serena continues without pausing.

Sunny looks at it very intently for a moment and then back at her with a smile, "I dunno… maybe! Who's is it?"

"It's mine," Blair says stepping forward.

"Oh…" he says, and the tilts his head to one side, "What's your name!?"

There's a pause; because what do they say? We have the same names as your parents? As your aunt and uncle?

"She's B." Serena says quietly, "You can call her B."

He gives them that skeptical look again, "Like my Auntie B?" He says doubtfully.

"Um. Yes," Blair says, shrugging a little, "Exactly like that, I guess…"

He sighs, "You _are _make-believe aren't you?"

"No, we're not," Chuck says firmly and then strides over to the bed and looks down at the boy, "We're from another… time. She's," he motions towards Blair, "Who your aunt used to be."

Sunny looks up at him and blinks, confused, "Huh?"

"Chuck, he's four," Blair says, but she's smiling a little because Chuck Bass expecting a four-year-old to grasp what _they're _having trouble understanding is a little bit adorable.

"Almost _five!" _Sunny says to her emphatically.

"Right," she agrees, "So I'm B, that's C, she's S, and he's N. Okay?"

He looks at her uncertainly for a moment and then shrugs lightly, "Okay, if you say so."

"So you've never seen that," Nate asks the kid, trying to get back on track, because— his _son, _is a concept he doesn't want to entertain anymore; _can't. _The room is steadier when he's pacing, even if it's slowly. Movement is good.

The boy looks back at Serena's hand and opens his mouth to respond when the door to his room is flung open, violently; it slams all the way against the wall.

"You _brat," _the girl shouts into the room, blue eyes blazing.

And Sunny launches himself off the bed so fast he flies _through _Serena. She screams and it mingles Sunny's cry of, "Get out!"

The girl stalks into the room, "I'm going to hang you out a window by your _feet, _you little snitch!"

"Gracie, chill." It's her companion, he's standing in the doorway; dressed in dark gray slacks and a lighter gray shirt accented with a pale yellow bowtie, he's frowning at her, "You're overreacting."

"Yeah!" Sunny agrees, popping up from where he'd hidden behind the bed.

"Stay out of this, Harm!" She shouts at him. She's still wearing her shorts and t-shirt. "Gail says I have to meet Aunt B on the patio! He _told _on me!!"

"Only because you're _bad!" _Sunny tells her and then runs around his bed when she lunges to grab him.

Serena and Blair rush out of the way, Blair grabbing Chuck on her way, as they join Nate on the far side of the room. They all hold still, watch the display before them.

"Bad!? You haven't _seen _bad! You were spying on me!"

"I was not!"

"Then what were you doing in my room!? I told you stay out of my room!" She continues, running around after him. The chignon has come loose and her auburn hair hung all around her shoulders and back in glossy waves.

"I had nothin' to do! And then I wanted to talk to Dad!" Sunny shouts, circling the bed to keep away from her.

"And then you _told _on me!"

She's on his heels though and manages to just grab the back of his shirt when Harm steps directly into her path. "Gracie, stop!" He yells and grabs her by the arms.

He's a little taller than her, maybe an inch, and he has pale blue eyes that are wide and concerned, "He's just a kid." He tells her softly.

"Yeah!" Sunny agrees again, he's on the other side of his bed now, nodding vigorously. And then he grins, says almost smugly, "And I'll tell _Liam." _

Gracie doesn't pull out of Harm's hold, but the look she shoots him is dark enough to burn; and then she transfers that same expression to the little boy, "Of course you will. That's all you _do." _

And Sunny's smile falters, "I just wanted to say hi to Dad. _You_ yelled," he defends himself, and then adds, "You're _mean." _

The accusation is met with momentary silence and it looks like it stings, her expression twitching a little; but then she hisses at him, "Stay out of my room," with venom.

Sunny frowns at her, "This is _my _room!" He yells.

She yanks herself out of Harm's grasp, shoots Sunny one more angry glare and then stalks out of the room.

They're all quiet for a beat and then it's Serena who says very softly, "That girl's got a temper."

Sunny nods at her and releases an overly dramatic sigh, "Tell me about it."

"Tell you what?" Harm asks, looking to him.

"'bout Gracie's temper…"

Harm sighs softly, eyes going back to the door for a moment before looking to Sunny again, "You okay? She didn't scratch you, did she?"

He shakes his head, "I'm fast!"

Harm smiles a little, "Yeah… listen, Sunny… don't tell my Mom, okay? That Gracie was in here or that she… was on the phone before…"

"She wouldn't let me talk to Daddy," Sunny says sadly, moving closer to Harm.

"Yeah, yeah. I know… you can talk to him later tonight, okay? Just don't tell this. It's our secret."

Sunny brightens, "I can keep a secret!" His eyes fly to Chuck, "See!" He says to him.

Chuck nods very slowly and Sunny's attention goes back to Harm, who is watching him curiously, "What're you doing anyway? In here by yourself?"

"Helping them, they're lost…"

"Helping who?"

"Them…" the little boy points in their direction and Harm looks over at them; his gaze going straight through them and to the wall.

"You're playing a game," he says with understanding, eyes going back to Sunny, "Fine, but listen, keep the secret, okay?"

Sunny shrugs, "Okay."

Harm's smile widens, he ruffles the younger boy's hair, "Cool."

He's at the threshold when Sunny's entire demeanor brightens and he rushes after him. "My Daddy's coming today!?" He asks.

Harm pauses and sighs, turns back to say a little glumly, "That's what I'm afraid of." And then he's fully out of the room and Sunny's left practically bouncing on his feet.

"Did you hear!?" He asks them excitedly, turning to face them, "Mommy _and_ Dad! Coming! Today!"

"Who is that?" Blair asks, ignoring his question, her eyes on the doorway.

"Who?"

"That boy?"

"That's Harm!"

"He's… your brother?"

Sunny giggles, "Nooo… Harm's my _cousin. Liam's _my brother."

"And…" Blair says carefully, "The girl… Gracie?"

Sunny rolls his eyes, smile dimming, "She's my sister," he says a bit dejectedly.

"Your sister?" Blair says, eyes still on the doorway; and then they shift sharply to Sunny, "You have one brother and one sister?"

He nods, "Yep."

Blair's gaze goes to Serena then and the blonde girl is shaking her head, even as she's sliding down the wall, "This can't be happening…"

"S," Blair goes to her, lowers herself, so they're face to face, "Sweetie…?" But she can't say anymore. Because she's feeling it too, this well of denial, because if this is true, if this is really _them _then these kids are really _theirs_… and everything around them is…

"Is this _real?" _Serena asks, her eyes wide; her words tearing Blair from thoughts she's afraid to follow.

Blair licks her lips, draws in a deep breath.

"It _can't _be," Nate says, before she can respond.

He's pacing again, the entire length of the room now. "It's some kind of… dream… or something."

Chuck sighs roughly then, "I, for one, am _sick _of searching for an explanation; can we please focus our efforts on a _solution. _Whether or not this is a _dream or something _is secondary to the fact that we don't _belong_ here."

"He's right," Blair says, still kneeling next to Serena, "We—"

"Easy for you to say," the blonde cuts in, "You don't have three children apparently at each other's throats." She's standing then, whirling on her best friend, "Where the hell _am _I, Blair?"

"Away," Chuck answers, "As the boy said, don't get tangled in the details, Serena."

Nate huffs, stops moving to face Chuck, "If this is our future—"

"That's a big _if, _Nathaniel."

"What _is _it then, Chuck!?" He snaps.

Chuck stares at him, nonplussed, and then shrugs a little, "I don't know."

Nate sighs, the sudden rush of anger leaving him.

"Are you mad at each other?" Sunny asks, he's sitting on his bed again, right in the middle of it, cross-legged, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands; watching them with that infinitely interested look on his face.

"No." Nate answer quickly, "We're just…"

"We want to go home," Blair finishes for him when Nate trails off. Serena nods in agreement. They're standing in an almost semi-circle formation around the end of his bed now.

"I really did see something in the closet…" Nate offers a beat later, "From the pendant."

"Can I still help?!" Sunny asks eagerly.

"Maybe," Blair answers the child, but her eyes are on Chuck. "The pendant… it was your mother's, you said."

Chuck sighs and nods, "Yes."

"Do you know where she got it?"

He shrugs, "An aunt I think… there was a card with it… all her jewelry is itemized at the bank… I think it said she inherited it from an aunt, but I didn't really—" he cut himself off and sighed.

Blair was nodding, extended her hand for Serena to give her back the necklace, "Sunny," she said and the little boy moves towards her. "Take this and ask your… Uncle Chuck if there's anything—"

"Uncle Chuck's not _here," _he interrupts, taking the necklace in both his little hands, "He's workin'. Like Dad."

Blair blinks at him, "You said, that this morning he told you needed a haircut."

Sunny nods, slipping off the bed so he's standing in front of her now. "He was here this a'morning. But he's workin' now."

"But there's a party," Blair insists, "He has to be here for the—"

"B," Serena says, coming to stand beside her; reminding the girl of the issue at hand.

Blair sighs, "Fine… go ask your…" she pauses feels a rush of awkwardness as she continues more softly, "Auntie B, if there's anything… special about it."

Sunny nods, "Okay!" And then he's off like a shot across the room and out into the hallway.

They stare at one another for moment and then rush off after him. He's flying down the steps and calling, "Auntie B!" at the top of his lungs.

"We should have told him to be subtle," Chuck regrets.

And Nate breathes a laugh because the boy is running through the living room so fast they're having to run too. They're running past the room lined with bookshelves when ahead of them, Sunny is halted in his tracks.

"Whoa, kid." It's the blonde boy they'd seen with the older Blair earlier, he's got a hand latched onto Sunny's shirt and a little smirk on his face, "Where're you going in such a rush?"

"Lookin' for Auntie B," Sunny answers promptly and then his eyes go round as they all come closer to him, he turns to them, pulling out of the older boy's hold even as he's motioning towards him with his closed hands, "Oh! Oh! _This _is my brother, this is Liam." He tells them.

Serena's eyes are huge in her face as she studies the older boy, "Dear god… he's like… a… a teenager."

Her gaze instinctively goes to Nate who's looking at her with equally wide eyes.

"Who're you talking to, kid?" Liam asks, eyes skimming over the space they occupy before going back to Sunny.

Sunny turns back to his brother. "The invisible people. They're lost. I'm helping them."

Liam laughs, "Invisible people?"

"Yep! I have to show Auntie B this! And ask if there's anything special about it!" He opens his hand to show Liam.

The older boy obligingly peers into Sunny's hand, "Kid, you've got nothing there… I bet you could find a good rock outside to pretend with though…"

Sunny frowns, looks at the necklace in his little palm, "It is there."

Liam rolls his eyes, "Okay, it's there. It's pretty."

"You don't mean it."

"I can't see it," Liam corrects and then he laughs again, "Maybe it's invisible like they are…"

"You're makin' fun." Sunny pouts, closing his palm over the pendant.

Liam grins and flicks Sunny in the forehead lightly, "I'm not. Come on, she's out on the patio with Gracie—" he's saying as he moves to take Sunny's hand.

"And oh," he says, looking down to give the younger boy an affectionate smirk, "Thanks by the way for telling her I called Gracie a little bitch; real smooth…"

Blair slips her hand into Chuck's; he squeezes it gently as they follow the two brothers at a slower pace.

Sunny makes a face up at Liam and says, "It slipped," a little shyly. Liam laughs softly, unrepentant.

Serena licks her lips when Nate takes a step towards her, "This is crazy," he whispers, but his arms are going around her and she lifts hers to wrap around his neck even as she nods her agreement into his shoulder. She takes a deep breath, lets his hair tickle her nose for a moment, closes her eyes and let's being with Nate soothe her.

He does the same. He's seeing Vanessa, he knows; and she's made it clear she doesn't want a relationship right now, he understands. But for the moment, confronted with _this, _he can't think of anything more calming or reassuring than having her in his arms.

"We should…" she whispers then trails off, without moving.

"Yeah," he agrees, they should catch up with the others. They pull apart simultaneously and he takes her hand, because he wants to.

There's no one in sights as they navigate the dining room; they veer off to the left rather than towards the kitchen and find themselves in a game room of sorts. It looks more lived in then the rest of the house, puzzles and books lying on the coffee table and rug; a big screen TV and video game systems dominating one entire wall; and immense veneer, double-doors that open out onto a patio.

They can see Chuck and Blair through doors; they're watching something intently. When they step outside, they can see Liam and Sunny off to one side, and the older Blair and Gracie standing center stage, face to face, and angry.

Gracie is still wearing that t-shirt and shorts; her hair back in its messy chignon. Blair's changed into a simple and elegant day dress, sleeve-less, pale lavender with white trim. Her hair is still very straight and loose and she's got a hard glare fastened on the young girl.

"You will wear that dress, those shoes, and a _smile, _Lillian Grace Van der Woodsen or you will spend the rest of this season at a Correctional Summer Camp for Girls. Do you understand me?"

Gracie scowls darkly at her aunt, "I would rather spend the entire summer eating macaroni and wearing Birkenstocks then dress up and go to this party for _my mother!" _

"They will cut your hair."

The girl quite nearly gasps and Sunny's mouth drops open. Apparently this is of great significance.

"You… you wouldn't!" Gracie cries, faltering.

Blair stares at her, "You are part of this family and this _family_ is having a neighborhood cook-out in honor of your mother's return from abroad. She is being accompanied by a Bass Inc. associate and we will present—"

"OH _please, _Aunt B!" She cuts in with an eyeroll and then she whirls towards Liam, "Seriously!? And _you're_ buying this?"

Liam shrugs, "I'm not _buying_ anything_. _I'm just wearing a shirt and slacks." He pauses, eyes her balefully, "It won't kill you to wear a dress."

Gracie actually stamps her foot, "It _might!_"

"Then I will bury you in shorts, but tonight you will wear that dress, Grace."

Gracie glares and then whirls on the heels of her feet and storms off the patio.

Nate and Serena jump back barely in time to avoid being walked through, since they were still standing by the doorway.

The air around them is completely still for a moment and then the older Blair blows out a breath. "That girl…" she says on a sigh. "I have no idea where she gets it from."

Liam laughs, arch's an eyebrow at his aunt, "Come on… Mom must'a been trouble at all ages."

"She most certainly was not!" Blair cries, "Serena was a _delight _at that age!"

Liam shrugs. "It's not like you wouldn't take her side even if she _hadn't _been," the words are at odds with the little smile on his face and his aunt takes a step towards him.

"Liam…" she says softly, taking a step towards him.

But the boy shakes his head, cuts her off before she can reach him. He motions towards the little boy, "Sunny here is on an important mission that's been put on hold long enough, hasn't it, kid?!"

Sunny nods excitedly, shoots his brother a quick smile and then opens his palm to show his Aunt the necklace, "Is there something special about this?"

"About what, baby?" She asks, eyeing his little hand.

"This!" Sunny says, lifting his hand higher, "They want to know if there's something special about it."

Blair licks her lips, takes his hand into hers and carefully folds it closed, "There's nothing in your hand, baby… is this the girl… the one who looks like you're Mommy? Did she tell you to ask me this?"

"The girl who what?" Liam asks, sounding alarmed.

Blair shoots him a quick look, before fastening her gaze on Sunny again and waiting for a response.

He shakes his head, "Nope. B asked me to do it."

"B?"

"Yep. She looks like you."

Blair sighs and pulls him towards her, gives him a quick hug, "Sunny…"

"I'm not pretending! They're invisible." He cries, pulling back a little and looking up at her. His eyes are distressed and anxious and she visibly softens. They can see it, the way she decides to play along.

"Okay, baby. I can't… I can't see this… uh…" she's at a loss.

"Necklace," Sunny tells her, "It's a necklace."

"Right, a necklace. So why don't you… go draw me a picture, okay? And then I'll tell you if there's anything special about it." She frowns suddenly, "And you were supposed to stay in your room."

Sunny pulls back completely and makes a little _eek _sound before rushing off back into the house.

He doesn't call for them to follow and they don't move after him, because Liam's look is worried and he's speaking almost before the young boy is out of earshot.

"What's going on?" He asks his aunt.

"Greg says imaginary friends are not abnormal."

He startles, gaze flying to her. "You called him already?"

She nods, "Briefly. He'll be here tonight and we can discuss it further."

"So Uncle Eric's coming?"

"Yes, of course."

"You could have told Gracie. She might have cooperated better."

"Your sister needs to learn to following instructions regardless of whether or not she _likes _them."

Liam smirks a little, "You haven't talked to Cash yet, have you?"

Blair stares at him for a moment and then sighs dramatically. "Of _all _the days for Chuck to go into the office…" she breathes.

"You could just wait for him to get back..."

She shakes her head, "He's going to be late."

"But you said that she's bringing an _associate_."

"She is. Chuck will be here, just a little late. And please don't sound so skeptical about it." Blair admonishes.

He shrugs, "I _am_."

"Li—"

"Whatever. It doesn't matter."

She's touching his arm then, "It matters. And it _is _an associate. Nothing more."

He laughs a little, dry and humorless, "Right. Because she _said _so."

And then he's pulling away from her and leaving the patio; quiet and serious and leaving his aunt with an expression of sorrow on her face that takes their breaths away. She stands there for another moment, gazing at the door her best friend's children had just walked through, and then she murmurs very softly, "It better be true, S."

They watch her, all silent, as she draws in breath and then walks across the patio and around the house; towards what they cannot imagine. They couldn't have imagined any of this…

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: So... I am gone tomorrow, but this chapter wrote itself today. :P It's just a bit more set-up, things will shake up soon. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and encouragement. I really appreciate it them. I hope you enjoy. :)

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"Well, that was… informative."

Chuck's voice washes over them, snapping them out of the spell they'd fallen under. Serena jerks as if pinched and Blair startles, Nate runs a hand through his hair and begins pacing anew.

"Right…" Serena murmurs, voice dull, "Like my children hate me."

"S, that's not—"

"Please, B." Serena cuts in, and she's moving on shaky legs to sit on one of the lounge chairs, "We know what it looks like."

Blair can't respond, because it's true.

"So we know that Nate and Serena have 3 children. Two of which are not pleased to have her back. We know there's a cook-out today in honor of her return and that she's been abroad for an indeterminate amount of time," Chuck summarizes, he's not pacing, but he looks thoughtful; glances around slowly, "We're in the Hampton's, so I must be driving into the city for work. Nate, is also at work, according to our little informant..."

"Right," Nate agrees, slowing his pacing.

Blair's sitting with Serena on the lounge chair now. Running a hand soothingly up and down her best friend's back.

"And we can presume that he will be in attendance tonight; and that I will be here as well."

"And you have a son," Nate finishes, eyes on Chuck.

"And I—" Chuck's speaking before Nate's word's have fully registered. And he starts when they do, eyes landing on his friend with shock, "I, what?"

"You have a son." Nate repeats, "Sunny said that Harm was his cousin. And he's calling Blair Mom; so…" Nate looks between Chuck and Blair, settles on Chuck, "You have a son."

Blair's hand stills on Serena's back and she lifts wide eyes to Chuck, "Chuck!" She shouts suddenly, leaping to her feet. "We're _married!" _She cries, dark eyes glimmering.

He stares at her. She stares back… and then she frowns, "Does that not make you _happy?" _

He blinks, "What?"

"We're _married." _She repeats, very slowly, her gaze beginning to narrow, "Is that not _good _news?"

Nate clears his throat, leans in a little close to Chuck, "Say, _yes_, man," he advises.

Chuck swallows, "Ye—yes! Of course it is! It's just…."

"Just, what?"

"Surprising, is all."

And even though Serena is still very much freaked out over the antagonism her children seem to hold towards her; she still manages to cringe for her brother.

"It's _surprising." _Blair enunciates a little dangerously.

"Well… yes, I mean all of this—"

"Why would it be surprising, Chuck?" Blair asks him, gaze sharp, "Is it _so _inconceivable that you would marry me?"

"What!? No!" He's shaking his head, "Of course it isn't!"

"Oh no. I understand," she says frostily, "I for one am completely astounded you haven't _forgotten _me by this age…"

Serena and Nate exchange exasperated glances; Chuck sighs, "I'm _sorry," _he repeats, "It will _never _happen again."

"Which part? The forgetting? Or the leaving me on a helipad?" Blair asks acidly, "Because that _was _again."

"Guys, stop," Nate interrupts, "Bigger problems, remember…"

They don't respond, are quiet for the moment, so he proceeds, "We should go find Sunny and—"

"I don't want to leave without finding out why," Serena says steadily, standing from the lounge chair.

The sky above them is bright blue, the sun glinting off her hair, and Nate's hypnotized enough by to wonder, "What?" Even as Blair and Chuck roll their eyes.

"Not our problem, S."

"Your kids don't hate you, Chuck!"

He shrugs, "We don't know that. They could hate me. It doesn't matter, this probably isn't even real…"

"I want to know why…"

Nate frowns at her, "Why what?"

"Why they hate me. So I can fix it," she says steadily.

Blair sighs, "Serena," she begins patiently, "Our… _guide, _for lack of a better term, is four-years-old, how exactly do you propose to deduce the source of your familial woes?"

She shrugs, "I don't know… by following _you _around, maybe," she replies and then she's off in the direction the other Blair had gone.

The patio rounds out to the side of the house and laid before them is the makings of a Hampton's style 'cook-out' in all the grandiose wonder they are accustomed to. The _cook-out _is really more of a theme, than an actual _style _of party. The food served will all be of the grilled variety, and perhaps a tiny gourmet hamburger will appear as an appetizer, but otherwise, as with most things on the Upper East Side, things are done a little differently in the Hampton's.

There are tents erected, tastefully decorated; clothed tables and chairs, floral centerpieces, a dance-floor and a group of musician's quietly setting up.

"I know this house!" Serena cries suddenly, turning around to stare up at it. She does another scan of the area and grins, "My grandma's is two houses that way!" She points quickly before continuing, "This is the Sherman's place, they've lived here forever."

"Well, not anymore," Blair says.

She laughs a little, "Yeah, I guess not… or maybe this really is a dream!"

Blair nods as encouragingly as she can, "Maybe…"

"But in case its not, let's find Blair— the older one," Serena adds quickly, her smile fading as she turns back to the party preparations.

"How old do you think I am?" Blair asks.

"We have to all be in our mid-thirties at least," Serena answers, "She's not out here anymore."

"Back in the house, probably," Blair responds.

And then the girls are moving back towards the house in search of the older Blair; completely focused on figuring out why Serena's children are upset with her.

Chuck looks over at Nate, "Did we agree to this?"

"I don't think so."

Nate shakes his head, "I don't even think they hate her… I don't think this is even _real…_ I think we should focus on getting out of here… if we're even really here…"

Chuck presses his lips together and sighs, "I don't think they're interested in what we think."

"Guys!" Blair's voice calls out to them, "Come on!"

They sigh and join the girls. They walk through quiet, empty rooms, and then back into the living room they'd first stumbled into. Harm is sitting on the bottom step, his elbows crossed over his knees and his gaze fixed on the floor.

Blair is standing over him, looking composed and a little amused, "Honey, please. What else did you want me to do?"

"I don't know. But she's mad now."

"She's been mad all week, Harm. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I know."

"You aren't responsible for Gracie's behavior, just your own."

"I know that," he sounds sullen though.

A small smile appears on Blair's face, "I was going up just now to talk to her though… does that make you feel better?"

He looks up at her and they see it then— the resemblance, there's something around the mouth, in the chin, that speaks of his mother; but mostly, quite suddenly, he looks like his father's father, like Bart Bass's grandson.

"It does!" He says, smiling a little.

"Then my job here is done," she says laughingly, reaches out a hand to him. He takes it and stands up on a hop.

"I'm going outside then," he says to his mother, "Tell Gracie to find me when she's ready..."

She nods and watches him run off for a moment before her eyes widen, "Harm!" She calls.

He stops and turns back. "Yes?"

"Please go tell your brother that if I'm forced to go find him or if he is not dressed appropriately for this event, I am going to call your father."

Harm blinks at her and then he grins, wide and delighted as only little brother's can when big brothers' are in trouble, "Dad'll just _love _that phone call!" He says and then runs out of the room.

Blair shakes her head as she watches him and then starts upstairs.

"I think you have _two_ sons, man," Nate says elbowing Chuck to get his attention in the silence of the room.

Chuck frowns and flinches, "_Thank_ you, Nathaniel."

Serena giggles, "You guys named your kid _Cash. _That's hilarious."

Blair huffs, "This is _obviously _a dream sequence."

"I thought you _wanted_ us to get married?" Chuck says a bit slyly.

Blair eyes him for a moment, "Do _you _want us to get married?"

Chuck gives her the same studious glance, "I might." He says carefully.

Serena shakes her head at them and starts up the steps. A moment later they're all following her up those steps. She pauses when they reach the hallway and then turns in the opposite direction of Sunny's room.

They're in time to see Blair slip through a door and they rush to follow her. Serena's first and then Blair, who turns and holds up a hand to Nate's face while she hisses, "Hold on," she looks behind her and apparently Serena has given some sort of sign, because she lowers her hand a moment later and lets them in.

The room is awash in pinks and lavenders, in flower and star decorations, in dolls and carousals; if ever there was a room designed to be emphatically _little girl _this was it.

"My god," Nate whispers softly, looking around, "I've never seen so much…"

"Pink," Chuck finishes when his friend trails off, "Or lace," he adds a beat later.

There's lace trim everywhere, on the rug, the bedspread, the sofa cushions… the curtains _are _lace. Even Blair is a little in awe at the sheer _girliness _of the bedroom.

Gracie is standing by the vanity table; she's wearing a slip, her hair is loose. It's very long, almost to her waist, and Serena and Blair suddenly understand her horror at having it cut. She's staring at herself in the mirror, the dress is lying on the bed; and as the older Blair had said, it's yellow and lovely.

"Are you going to speak to me while I'm in here?" Her aunt asks.

"I already said you could come in."

"You said, you couldn't stop me."

"Details."

The room is quiet and Serena shoots her Blair a look, "She doesn't look anything like me…" she says softly.

"She has your eyes," Blair responds quietly, but knows it's true. There's precious little of Serena in the girl's face; the eyes are about it.

"Or Nate," Serena continues.

And Blair's silent, because that is true also; there is nothing of Nate in the girl's face.

But still, there's something familiar about the shape of her face, the tilt of her chin, the angle of her cheekbones…

"May I help you?" The older Blair says suddenly into the silent room.

It's an odd question and they're all surprised when Gracie looks away from the mirror and turns around to face her aunt.

She nods slowly and the older woman moves to lift the dress from the bed. She unzips it and Gracie raises her arms. They watch as Blair slides it over the girl's head; Gracie slips her arms into it, it's sleeveless, like her aunt's, and then she turns around. Blair gathers the girls together and gently holds it to one side as she zips the dress closed.

"Another Waldorf Original, huh?" Gracie comments, but she looks more amused then she has since they've seen.

Blair smiles. "Not so original, I know," she says lightly.

Then she guides the girl forward, to sit at the vanity. Oddly enough, Gracie complies without another word.

And then Blair reaches for a hairbrush and begins to methodically brush the long auburn waves. She doesn't say a word, but by the fifth brushstroke, Gracie's eyes are full of tears.

She turns abruptly into her aunt, buries her face into Blair's middle; and Blair sets the brush down and lays her hands against the girl's hair, smoothing it gently.

Gracie's voice is muffled, but still clear when she whispers, "I don't want things to change. Why does she always have to make things change?"

Blair's hands move to her arms and she stands her up, moves her towards the sofa and then sits down, pulling the girl into an embrace as she says very gently, "Not everything is changing, honey."

Gracie doesn't respond; she closes her eyes, and lays her head on her aunt's shoulder.

"I'm not," Blair continues softly, "I won't, okay…"

Gracie shakes her head, "Everything will…"

"Honey, I promise—"

"Liam'll go to Henry and Uncle Nate will take Sunny and I'll be left over."

Those words provoke an instantaneous reaction from her aunt, the woman draws back instantly and meets the young girl's gaze steadily, "That will never happen."

"It already did… before Sun—"

"It _never _has, Gracie. Never," Blair cuts in firmly. "You have to trust me on that and you have to trust me when I tell you that things are going to be different this time; I promise."

The girl looks at her aunt for a long moment; and then it flickers over her face, trust.

She sighs softly, bites her lip, "So I won't get dragged to Ibiza in the middle of the night to vacation with any prospective new relatives?"

Blair's eyes widen, "You can't possibly remember that! You were three!"

Gracie shrugs almost causally, but not quite. "It's one of my first memories," she says standing from the sofa. She draws in a shuddering breath, stares at the carpet for a heartbeat, like she's remembering that night, and then shakes it off; walks back to the vanity, sits down, and picks up the hairbrush again.

Her aunt watches quietly for a long moment as the young girl finishes brushing her hair and then she approaches her; reaches over and opens a small case on the vanity and begins pulling out small butterfly clips as she asks carefully, "Did you call your father today?"

Gracie's hands are folded on her lap in a very demure gesture and she's watching her aunt meticulously arranging the small butterfly clips into her hair; she meets her aunt's eyes in the mirror at the question, "No."

For a moment, Blair doesn't look convinced and then Gracie adds, "Like I could reach him."

And her face eases and tenses in a swift passage of emotions not one of the four of them could possibly decipher. She's finished with the clips, lays her hands softly on Gracie's shoulders, "I could call Vanessa for you if you want, she could—"

"Nope," the young girls says emphatically as she slips off the seat and spins around to face Blair, "I don't have a single thing to say to him," and then she visibly changes the subject, "How do I look?"

Blair sighs even as she smiles, "As lovely as I thought you would."

"Not more?" She teases doing another spin for her aunt, the hem of the dress billows out a little and her hair sways around her shoulders and arms like a curtain burnished gold. She's sliding over to wear little, golden flats are sitting, and slips into them as Blair laughs.

"If you want to be showered with compliments, go ask Harm."

Gracie giggles, "What matches?" She asks taking the hand that Blair offers her.

"Tie and shoelaces."

"His _shoelaces?" _Gracie gasps, but there's laughter in her voice and she's smiling wider than they had seen her yet.

Blair nods, "Yellow like your dress."

Gracie gives her a hilariously startled look and Blair smirks, "Don't ask me..."

And they walk out of the room, smiling and teasing about he's _your _son and he's _your _partner-in-crime and leaving four very puzzled teenagers in their wake.

"That was of little help," Blair says finally when the silence begins to get too oppressive. She slides her gaze to Serena.

The blonde is looking dazed, almost pale, and Blair takes her hand, "S, it's okay."

The girl startles, shakes her head, as she meets her friends gaze, "No, I don't… I don't think it is, B."

Nate turns to Blair, "Wh—why would you— uh, _that_ Blair, I mean, bring up Vanessa?" He asks her and then he's pacing again.

Chuck nods, "That is a very good question." They're all silent for a moment and then he turns towards the door, "Let's find out."

Nate, Serena, and Blair exchange a quick round of glances before following Chuck out of Gracie's bedroom and down the hall to Sunny's.

They're right behind him when he strides inside and looks at the little boy. Sunny is sitting at a little table that's been set up at one side of his room near an alcove of books and… art supplies they notice. He has the necklace out and a variety of coloring supplies, his blonde head is bent over a sheet of paper.

"Sunny," Chuck says firmly.

And the boy looks up eyes widening as he grins, "You sound _just _like Uncle Chuck!" He tells him delightedly, "And look, I'm drawing the necklace! Do you like it!?" He's motioning towards the paper he's working on, smiling.

The reaction gives Chuck pause, but he recovers admirably. "It's fine," he answers glancing at it, "What does the name _Vanessa_ mean to you?"

"Vanessa?" Sunny echoes, apparently used to his _uncle's _brisk way; he tilts his head to one side as his eyes brighten, "Oh! Like Nessa, you mean?"

They all stare at him for a moment and then Serena walks forward, past Chuck, to the little boy; this is _her _son after all. She smiles at him and makes a show of looking at the drawing; and knows her eyes widen in actual surprise when she sees it, "Sunny! This is really good!" She takes the page and hands it to Blair who's come up behind her, "Look…"

Blair takes it and then smiles at the boy; he's drawn the oval of the pendant perfectly, the gold chain, the color of the stone, and then by it's side he's drawn small flowers to represent the inside of the pendant. "This is a terrific job, Sunny." She praises.

He beams at both of them, "I _like _to draw!"

Serena grins at him and then reaches out to touch his arm gently. Her fingers slide right through him— it's startling, eerie even, and she jumps.

Sunny's eyes go wide, "Oh cool!" He cries and holds up his hand, "Do it again!"

Serena's staring at him, horrified; and he's grinning at her, like she's just performed the most amazing magic trick.

"Would your Auntie B mention Nessa to Gracie?" Chuck asks and Serena shoots her brother a supremely grateful look.

Sunny looks to Chuck and nods; then he seems to realize that they're all watching him and he looks them all over as he says, "Sure… I guess so…" hesitantly.

"Why in heavens name are would we _still _be _talking _to Vanessa Abrams?" Blair snaps and shoots Chuck an accusing glare.

"Hey! Aim that look over there," he protests, pointing at Nate.

Nate blinks, looks up from where he'd been watching Sunny. He frowns at Blair, "Aren't I married to Serena or something?"

"_Do_ you think we're married?" Serena asks and there's an odd thread of hope in her voice.

Nate shrugs, meeting her gaze, "We have kids," he says, smiling a little.

"Oh!" Sunny cries suddenly, leaping up from his little chair, "Is Annie coming!?" He asks, actually hopping a little on his feet. "Is that what you mean!? That Auntie B was telling Gracie Nessa is bringing Annie!?"

Nate's gaze went to his son, "Who's Annie?" He wondered softly.

"My sister."

The simple answer seems to reverberate around the room for a moment and then Blair shakes her head, "No, no, no… you _said_ you had one brother and one sister. I asked you!"

"Don't yell at him," Serena admonishes softly.

Sunny's nodding at Blair though, "I do!" He cries and then adds, "_Here!_" Emphatically. He doesn't seem to be perturbed at being yelled at, despite Harm's earlier words to Gracie that the younger boy hated it.

"Wait, wait… yo—you have a sister…?" Nate asks, "Another sister…?"

Sunny nods, "Yeah, Annie."

"Annie," Nate repeats, "As in… _Anne?" _His eyes are wide and he's starting to pant a little, because the picture forming in his mind is a portrait he'd rather not look at…

Sunny's mouth twitches in an approximation of a smirk, "Only if there's trouble…" he says, giggling a little.

"Where is she?" Nate asks.

"Oh! She lives with Nessa! And Nessa brings her to visit. They live away… with trees… it looks like the park!" Sunny answers.

"You have _child _with _Brooklyn!?" _Blair shouts.

Serena's shaking her head, "But—but…"

"How old is she?" Chuck asks, "Annie?"

Sunny shrugs, "Older."

"Older like Liam?" Chuck presses, "Or older like Gracie?"

Sunny considers, "Um… like Gracie, I guess… or Cash! Older like Cash!"

"Great," Blair mutters, "The one we haven't seen yet."

"Oh, you'll like Cash." Sunny says cheerily.

"Do you have any _other _brothers or sisters _anywhere _else?" Blair asks, clearly.

Sunny shakes his head, "Nope."

"Wait, wait," Nate says again, "You're saying you have… another sister… and that she lives with her mother… and that her mother is _Vanessa?" _

Sunny nods, "Yep, Nessa."

"But that…" Serena shakes her head and Sunny's attention is riveted to her.

"That doesn't… why would…" Serena licks her lips, starts her sentence over, "Blair _wasn't _mentioning Annie… she was talking about Gracie calling her Dad and Vanessa making a call— and does all this mean…" her eyes go to Nate, "That we're _not _married?"

Nate shakes his head, looks achingly bewildered, "It doesn't make sense."

The room is quiet; and then Sunny tries to help.

"Maybe Nessa was gonna call Gracie's Daddy, maybe that's what Auntie B meant. Does that make sense?" He offers, looking at them eagerly; his voice helpful.

Serena runs a hand over her face, "But why would Vanessa need to call your Dad for Gracie, Blair could—"

"Not _my _Daddy!" Sunny says, grinning as if it's the silliest thing he's ever heard, "_Gracie's_ Dad."

They stare at him, the incomprehension on their faces clear even to a four, almost five, year old.

"_Mister Dan…_" he says carefully, his little arms coming out in a wave a gesture, as if this would help them understand.

And that, right there, was just about the last thing Serena could handle at the moment.

"Oh god," Blair whispers, hands reaching for Serena, but the blonde shakes her head and backs away from her, from the boy, her hands stretching out in front of her, a sob in her chest.

Chuck and Nate watch, with wide-eyes as she keeps backing up until she's pressed the back of her knees against the bed; and then she drops onto it and buries her face in her hands.

Blair moves to sit with her, arms going around her, knows exactly what Serena's and why her best friend is so close to tears. They weren't going to be their parents.

"It's okay…" Blair whispers.

"It's _not," _Serena says, without lifting her head, "I'm… my _mother." _

"You're _not," _Blair insists, "You're not… you're just… all of us, I think, we're just…"

Serena looks up at her when Blair trails off, her eyes glimmering with un-shed tears, and Blair flounders a little, looks up at the guys, who look back just as taken aback as she is, as Serena is.

She shrugs one shoulder a little and then offers her best friend a wan smile, saying wryly, "… just a little dysfunctional."

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you all so much for leaving such amazing feedback while I was away. I know things are a bit confusing still, but things will clear up soon. I had every intention of this being the chapter you all met Cash in, but well, it's a bit long as it is, so Chapter 5. ;) I'm outlining about 10 chapters and a happy ending. ;P

Thanks again. And I hope you enjoy! :]

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"No, I'm _worse _than my mother," Serena cries, jumping from the bed. Blair's words barely even registering with her.

Blair shoots Sunny a quick look; the boy is watching them intently, his little brow furrowed a bit.

"Serena, you have to calm down," Chuck tells her quietly, noticing the direction of Blair's gaze as he taking a step towards his sister, "We don't know enough to—"

"We know that Gracie's not Nate's and Sunny is. That's enough isn't it?"

Chuck shakes his head, looks about to respond, when the door to the bedroom opens. Liam steps inside and Chuck stops, they all stop, and watch as he walks inside.

"Let's go, kid," he says to Sunny, waving him over towards him.

"He's the oldest then," Blair says, almost to herself, "Of all the children…?"

"Yep! He is!" Sunny agrees with her and grabs his picture from the table, before dashing across the room to his big brother, "Liam, look…"

"People are starting to arrive; Aunt B wants you with her," he tells Sunny without preamble. He glances at the picture belatedly and smiles a little, "Nice."

"I have to show it to Auntie B."

Liam nods, "Sure, but not in front of guests; fold it up and put it in your pocket. You can show it to her later."

Sunny nods and does as he's told; the request apparently not odd. A moment later, when he moves towards Liam, he lifts his arms up and the older boy doesn't hesitate; he bends down and scoops him up into his arms then turns towards the door, saying with a smile, "You're getting heavy."

Sunny giggles, "Am not!"

Liam's smile stretches. "Are to," he teases.

And Serena can do nothing but stare at their retreating forms— her sons, those boys are her sons…

In the hallway, Sunny peers at them over Liam's shoulder, "Come to the party!" He tells them cheerfully, a little hand calling them over.

"I'm _taking _you to the party," Liam responds easily, turning towards the staircase.

"No, not you. The invisible people. They're sad, but the party will cheer them up." Sunny says wisely, "You can dance!" He adds, looking from Liam's face to the four of them.

They'd followed the boys out of the room, were descending the staircase now, their steps slow; they were quiet, too many questions swirling in all their minds to voice just yet.

"These invisible people," Liam says very seriously as they reach the bottom and walk, "They ask you to do anything else?"

"Nope," Sunny answers, leaning back a little to look at him, "But they—" Sunny's eyes go wide then and he turns back to the four of them, "So _is _Annie coming?" He asks them all; looking at them eagerly over Liam's shoulder, his bright blue excited.

Nate starts at the mention of the name, this girl that's supposedly his; Serena flinches a little and doesn't know why. Chuck and Blair exchange a glance, before Chuck shakes his head, meets Sunny's gaze, "No that's not—"

"Who said Annie was coming?" Liam's voice cuts into Chuck's response. He's standing in the room with the bookshelves now, and they stop with him, watch as he shifts the little boy in his arms so he can look at Sunny's face.

"Annie's coming?" Gracie's curled up in one of the armchairs, her legs tucked underneath her, skirt laid out delicately around her.

"I didn't know that," Harm's sitting on the floor beside the chair, his face turning towards them from where he'd been looking up at Gracie.

"Neither did I," Liam continues, "Where'd you hear that, Sun?"

Sunny's still looking at Chuck though, still thinking on that _no _he'd gotten from him. "But you _said_ that—"

"Your aunt only mentioned Vanessa, not Annie," Blair tells him gently, "And not to say that she was coming."

"Oh." Sunny says quietly and looks disappointed.

"You're talking to walls now, brat?" Gracie's straightening from her seat, blue eyes on her little brother's profile.

"Are you still playing that game?" Harm asks him, also straightening a little.

"What game?" Gracie asks.

Sunny looks over and frowns at them from inside Liam's hold, "It's not a game," he says almost smugly, "I'm _helping _them."

Gracie exchanges a look with Harm, "Right. Helping who?"

"The invisible people."

She stares at him.

Harm blinks, "Seriously?"

"Yes," Sunny sounds a little put out, "They're right there." And he points to them, standing just past the threshold into the room.

"One of whom looks like Mom," Liam says, meeting his sister's gaze, "And the other looks like Aunt B."

Gracie stands and Harm follows suit.

"That's some weird game," Harm says quietly.

Sunny huffs, "It's not a—"

"Yeah, we heard you the first time," Gracie interrupts, "It's just plain _weird," _she tells him, "Cut it out, okay?"

"I have to help them. They're _lost_," Sunny tells her with emphasis, but they get the distinct impression that if he weren't focused on _helping_ them he would actually obey his sister. "And it's not just S and B," he continues, "It's—"

"Maybe we _could_ play a game!" Serena says suddenly, her voice a little too bright, but it serves to stall Sunny's words. He looks over at them, focuses those big blue eyes on Serena, and she grins at him as wide as she can manage, "Let's see how good that secret-keeping ability of yours is!"

Sunny laughs a little, rolls his eyes, "I'm not a _baby _you know. That's not a game."

"Hey!" Gracie shouts at him, "Snap out it! You're freaking me out!" And her eyes are a little wide, a little alarmed.

"There's nothing there, buddy," Liam says softly and then he gives Gracie a quelling look.

"They can't see us," Nate says softly, "So they don't get it, okay? About you helping us."

"So we're like your secret," Blair adds.

Chuck nods, "So stop talking to them about us."

Blair nudges him with her elbow and Chuck adds, "Please."

Sunny bites his lip, eyeing them all for a moment, before he nods, "Oh, okay."

"Okay what?" Harm wonders, he's standing beside Liam now, looking over at Sunny with concerned, brown eyes.

"Tell him, nothing," Chuck commands.

Sunny sighs and then looks over at Harm, "Nothing."

All the kids are silent for a moment and then Liam sighs, "Okay then, let's get this over with."

"I have to find Cash," Harm says, before any of them move. "Mom said."

"Well?" Liam says when the younger boy adds nothing more.

"Can't find him."

"Did you look for him?" Liam asks, voice wry.

Harm shrugs, "Not really."

"Harm was waiting for me by the swings," Gracie tells her brother, and then adds with a shrug of her own, "Cash is probably in the pool house."

Liam nods, looks to Harm, "Go get him then."

Harm rolls his eyes, but nods agreement. Gracie snatches his arm before he moves away, they exchange a quick look, and then he's moving off towards the game room and patio.

Blair takes a step to follow him; but Chuck takes her arm, "Where're you going?"

"I want to see him," Blair says simply.

Chuck shakes his head, "We stay together."

"So let's go and—"

"Do you _really_ think this guy she's bringing wants to work with Uncle Chuck?" Gracie's question has Blair snapping her mouth shut.

And Liam giving the girl a hard glare.

He bends down, lowering Sunny to the floor, "Go find Aunt B, kid. She wants someone to meet you…" he tells the little boy, patting his head affectionately as he straightens.

"Mommy's bring someone for Uncle Chuck to work with?" He asks brightly, looking up at his siblings.

Gracie ducks her head a little, looks actually abashed and Liam says, "Yep," very firmly; and then, "Go on."

Sunny nods and runs off, he pauses though before turning into the game room and looks back at the four of them, "Are you coming to the party?"

"Yes," Serena tells him quietly, "We'll be right there."

Just as Gracie says, "Yep, we'll be right there…"

Serena jumps, they all do a little, because the effect is uncanny; because at that moment, with a bright smile on her face and forced cheer in her voice, Gracie sounds just like her mother.

"Wow," Nate says very softly, his gaze on the little girl.

Serena says nothing; she licks her lips and draws in a deep breath and hardens her heart the way she'd learned to do this summer. Because she'd decided, she wasn't going anywhere until Liam and Gracie did; that whatever these two were going to say now, away from adults and young children, was something she needed to hear.

"Would you watch yourself in front of him? That's twice this afternoon." Liam says sternly when Sunny is out of sight.

"Serena," Blair says quietly, standing beside her friend and taking her hand, "You know that sometimes… like you and I would… say things we didn't always mean… about our mothers… so don't—"

"If she's not having sex with this _associate_ I'll put blue streaks in my hair."

Liam scowls at her, "You're nine-years-old, you shouldn't know what sex _is." _

Gracie rolls her eyes, "I'm not gonna standby and watch her wreck everything."

Serena's hand tightens around Blair's and the girls wait with bated breaths for this conversation to play out.

Liam's eyes widen at Gracie's words; his gaze roving over her face quickly, "Call it off," he says abruptly, his words sharp.

And the young girl lifts her chin, "Call _what _off?" She asks and there's a touch of belligerence in her voice.

"Grace." He says steadily; and nothing more, just her name in a tone that tells her he's not fooled.

"I don't get you," she says, frowning, "Why are you just gonna let her ruin everything? Let her make everything the way it was before—"

Anger flashes across his face like lightening on a summer afternoon, "You can barely remember before!"

Gracie scowls. "I remember enough!"

And her shouted words have Liam sighing and looking extremely frustrated suddenly; the flash of anger slipping away. "This might shock you, Grace, but controlling our mother is something absolutely _no one _has managed to do."

"You fixed it the first time!"

"I was an _idiot _the first time; I could have been killed or worse." He contradicts her.

"You were my age and you got on a flight and you brought her home. You knew—"

"I didn't know anything! I ran away like a stupid little kid. And _now_ I know that it does no good to run away from home. It was a stupid move and it just—"

"It brought her back!" She shouts, cutting him off.

He stares at her a beat. "Yeah," he says dully after a long moment, "Her and her _husband." _

Gracie makes a flustered motion with her hands, "Carter's not so bad."

Liam sighs, "I'm not saying he is," he says and lifts his hand in a gesture of impatience, "I'm saying that she wasn't going to send me back to the city alone; that yeah she came back with me, but she had…" he pauses, and then says carefully, "_Baggage,_ Gracie, and that nothing _changed _when she was back."

Gracie shakes her head, "It worked! You fixed—"

And he's got a hand on her shoulder then, shaking her gently, "You can't _fix _someone."

"I can try."

"It brought her back, fine. But what for? It wasn't much better when she was back."

"At least she was with us then and—"

"She's home today, there's no use—"

"She'll leave again."

Liam stares at her. "Nothing you do is going to make her stay if she doesn't want to."

She stares at him, hard; obstinacy glinting in her gaze.

He persists, "Whatever you've done— undo it," he tells her a moment later and there's a thread of pleading in his voice, of _before you get hurt. _

And it looks almost like she can hear it, like she considers it and then she shakes her head again, "I can't," she tells him and then pauses, looks up into eyes as blue hers, "And I wouldn't," she confesses.

He drops his hand, "Gracie, just…"

"I can't let it go," she says as if he'd finished the sentence, "We're a family, we're _Sunny's _family, and we're happy and she doesn't get to just—"

"We'll still be a family. Sunny will… get used to; like we did…"

Gracie's eyes widen and she scowls at him, "How can you _say _that!?" She yells at him, "_He's making her up!_ And you're the one worried about even _hinting _at it in front of him!"

Liam looks pained for a moment and then he shrugs, expression going purposefully blank, "Greg told Aunt B imaginary friends are normal. And I… I want him to have it for as long as he can," he reasons, "But I'm not going to pretend it's not happening—they're getting divorced. It's happening."

Gracie's glare is so hot it could peel paint. "Therapy has _ruined _you," she hisses at him. "_I'm_ not giving up; I won't, just because you don't want to try—"

Liam starts to look angry again, "It's not that I don't _want _to! It's that—"

But apparently Gracie is done listening, she tosses her hair back and with that scowl on her face she leaves the room.

Liam's head turns, eyes following her departure and then he sighs, the anger draining away. He looks oddly young suddenly; and… like Eric as he finishes quietly, "I just know better."

He's quiet, still, for another moment and then he moves after her then too; leaves the four of them in silence and shock until Serena makes a sobbing noise and drops onto one the sofas, hands over her face.

Blair moves to her immediately, arms wrapping around her friend's shoulders, "Oh S…"

"I _am _worse than her," Serena cries, her voice muffled by her hands.

Blair doesn't respond; shoots the boys a panicked look, because they're all right here, seeing what she's seeing and there's really no way to sugarcoat the obvious.

Serena's head lifts and Blair looks back at her, meets her gaze. "What did I _do _to myself, B?"

Blair sighs, shakes her head a little; has no words.

"I leave them…" Serena continues, "And he ran away… to find me… and she's so… so determined to… to…" tears pool then, because she's felt that determination; that will to straighten her mother out, to just _fix _her.

And now, it's her. Her that needs fixing.

A tear slips down her cheek and she pulls her gaze from Blair's stricken face; lets it fall to the floor. It's a hardwood floor, covered with a beautiful mahogany rug at the center.

And it's just the four of them again, but no one speaks of getting out of here, of finding a way home; the scenes playing out before them are enthralling, a glimpse into something they had never thought to dream of… and for Serena, a nightmare she had been sure she could hold at bay.

Serena's gaze is locked onto the floor, her hair falling forward, shielding her face from the rest of them. She had no cause to worry though; their gazes are everywhere, but on her.

Blair is drawing in a deep breath, preparing to speak, when Serena stands— and without a word to any of them, leaves the room.

There's a breath when the three of them stare after her without moving and then Blair stands and they're all rushing after her.

"She's freaking out," Nate says softly.

"Good observation, Nathaniel," Chuck hisses.

"_I'm _freaking out," Nate adds.

"Well _stop _it." Blair hisses at him, shooting him a dark look, "Whatever this _is _it _isn't _real, so just—"

Blair stops, mid-sentence, at the threshold of the patio. Serena has stopped there too, is staring as well. The preparations they had seen in movement, had been completed, all traces of them gone, and the result was a deceptively causal lawn party straight out of their childhoods.

It was startling to realize that there was a certain lull at the Hampton's right now, in their present; while the teens grew up and the adults prepared to hand the mantles over. Parties were still done, of course, but the crowd of well dressed children running underfoot had dwindled and so the events had a more solemn air to them. They were given by adults for adults, not for adults and their children—a simple thing, but it changed the entire tone of the gathering.

As Liam had said, people had begun arriving. Dressed in light colored skirts and high heels, tailored shirts and slacks; they mingled under tents, listening to the music, sipping champagne, eating canapé— and out from underneath the tents, under a sky dappled with pink, children played tag on the lawns, a Frisbee flew, and a soccer ball rolled. They wore polo shirts and summer dresses and to the four of them, standing there, eyes a little wide, mouths a little agape, the scene was an echo of summertime's gone by.

"Wow," Nate says softly after another beat. He takes a step forward, moves to stand beside Serena. Chuck is standing beside Blair as he nods as well.

"This is…" Blair trails off, waves a hand at it.

They nod and then Serena's moving again.

"S, wait!" Blair calls, stepping off the patio after her.

Serena shakes her head and makes a beeline for the older Blair.

"Serena!" Blair cries and reaches out, grabs her arm, "Stop it, okay. Don't do this to yourself, don't—"

"Why not?"

Blair blinks, "Why no—?"

But Serena doesn't let her finish the question, she pulls her arm free. "I _need _to do this to myself. I have to fix this, to see it and remember it and not let it happen. Because… my kids _hate _me…"

"They don't," Chuck says coming to stand beside Blair, fixing dark eyes on his sister's face, "They love you."

"And I'm…" Serena trails off, blue eyes staring at Chuck and he sees _breaking their hearts _in her eyes as clearly as if she'd spoken the words.

"Fine," Blair says firmly. "We'll figure out what happened and then we'll figure out how to get back… or wake-up… and then we'll figure out to fix this." She rubs Serena's arm comfortingly.

"That's what she keeps saying," Nate comments as Blair finishes speaking, "Gracie. She keeps saying that she has to fix it."

Nate's words draw Serena's gaze to him; and they stare at each other. There's an odd solace in one another's stunned gazes.

And then Serena blinks. "I have a _daughter _with _Dan." _She whispers almost to herself, gaze unfocused; she steps back as if staggering, as if the realization was literally falling onto her shoulders.

"And Nathaniel has apparently procreated with Vanessa." Chuck says with distaste.

Blair throws him a hard look over her shoulder, "Jealous, Bass?" Her gaze is not nearly as light as her words.

Chuck narrows his eyes, says, "Hardly," very slowly; so she's sure to get it.

"Apparently you both felt the need to procreate in _Brooklyn_." Blair says derisively after meeting Chuck's gaze for a moment too long.

"God Blair, don't say it like that," Nate hisses.

Blair bats her lashes at him and smiles icily. "Like what?"

"Oh!" Serena cries suddenly, pulling back as a woman walks through her. Hair dyed a blonde that's a touch too creamy and a pale blue blouse with ruffles the woman is smiling as she approaches the tables.

Serena tugs Blair by their joined hands and the four of them move off to one side. The sky is tinged with orange now too, pinks and oranges mixing together in the signal of approaching twilight.

"At least you then followed it up with each other," Chuck offers approvingly into the silence that's enveloped them; he's slipping an arm around Blair's waist and tugging her a bit closer.

She resists a bit and then settles, sending him an arced eyebrow, but remaining silent.

"You married Carter."

Serena startles at Nate's words. It's a comment, not an accusation, and she licks her lips before meeting his gaze, "I guess so."

"I told you to stay away from him." Chuck snaps.

And it's absurd to berate Serena for something she hasn't done, might never even do if, _because, _this is some sort of fantasy; but the words slip out anyway and Serena turns a glare on him.

"Actually, you _text _me to stay away from him, Chuck, and I text back that you need to stay out of my business."

Blair scoffs, "Good luck with that."

"What's that mean?"

Blair looks over at her best friend, "You don't know?"

"Blair." Chuck warns.

She rolls her eyes, "He has us followed, you realize."

"_What!?" _Serena's shriek rivals one Blair's and Chuck winces a little. Nate takes a very subtle step back.

"You _what!?" _She shouts at Chuck and then glares at Blair, "And you _know _about this!?"

Blair sighs, "Of course. But what would like me to do about it?"

"Tell him to stop!" She shifts her glare back to Chuck, "Stop!"

He doesn't look at all repentant. "I like to keep up on your life."

"So _talk _to me!" She shouts, "A _phone call _might be nice every once in a while you know! You've dropped off the face of the planet!"

"I'm _busy," _he snaps, "It's easier to read it."

"Easier to spy on me!"

He glares back at her then, his calm vanishing, "Well, what am I supposed to do! I don't have the time to—"

"Make the time!"

"I don't know _how!" _He shouts at her and it's the quandary at the core of every problem he's had with Blair this summer. Figures he'd admit it to anyone, but her.

"And _you're _the one whotook off for the entire summer," he accuses Serena quickly, before anyone can comment on his admission, "With _Carter_. Without explanation," he bites out before waving his hand a little and adding, "And apparently you _marry _him."

Serena locks up tight at that; feels herself do it. The way her eyes frost over and her spine straightens, "I don't have to tell you everything."

And she wouldn't. Chuck would set a team of detectives on it that would rummage through every single closet the Van der Woodsen/Rhodes family _had _and then he'd give it all to her in one neat report, all laid bare in black and white ink.

She couldn't take that.

Chuck is still glaring. "You don't have to tell anyone except Carter apparently, because your mother certainly had no idea where you were and Eric only got a phone call once a week. And by the way using fake names so I couldn't—"

Serena's eyes flash, "You were trying to track me!"

Chuck rolls his eyes, "Of _course."_

Blair sighs, puckering her lips, "Enough. Could we put the sibling squabbling away for a minute and—"

"Hey, who do you think all these kids' parents are?"

Nate's question is so completely out of the blue that Blair stops mid-sentence and turns to look at him. Serena and Chuck do the same; eyes wide in disbelief. Not one of them responds and after a couple beats Nate tears his gaze away from the children across the lawn.

"What?" He asks.

When they continue to stare, he huffs at them, fastens eyes on Serena, "He's not going to stop," he tells her and then looks at Chuck, "And she's not going to like it." He shrugs then and says simply, "So just… get over it."

Serena blows out a breath when Nate looks at her again; it feels impossible, but there's a smirk tugging at her lips and he smiles at her a little. He could soothe her, she hopes that hasn't changed.

"I actually could not have said that better myself, Nate," Blair compliments looking oddly proud; and then adds quickly, "Well, not _too _much better."

Chuck smirks and Nate laughs a little, Serena breathes a little easier; and just like that they're okay.

Serena bites her lip as she sends Chuck a quick glance, he's looking back at her, waiting for her gaze; and they offer each other a look of peace.

And then they hear Blair, the older one, cry, "Sunny!" Just as someone else yells, "Oh no!"

They all whirl in the direction of the voices and see a few women gathered together, dabbing at elderly woman's skirt, and Blair is smiling widely, too wide, saying something softly, before she takes Sunny by the arm and pulls him away.

"I wonder what happened," Serena says as she moves towards them. The others follow closely behind her.

"—and it's rude and mean." Blair is finishing up as they approach the two. She had taken the boy off to the far side of lawn, almost to the other end of the patio and was speaking to him in a heated whisper.

Sunny was pouting, bottom lip puckered out and head lowered, his blonde hair falling forward into his eyes. "She keeps callin' me _Nathaniel." _

Blair sighs and continues in that same furious whisper, "That woman is nearly eighty years old and batty as unexplored cavern, Sunny," she pauses, "And don't you repeat that to anyone, understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You have to apologize. And Nathaniel _is _your middle name, so it's not—"

"I'm Sunny."

"Yes, I know, but—"

"And I told her."

"I know you did, but—"

"Four times!" He cries and lifts those big blue eyes to her, "She wouldn't listen!" He says so woefully, Serena wants to pull him to her for a hug.

"Shh," his aunt says softly, apparently feeling the same impulse as she reaches out to smooth his hair, "I know, but spilling your soda on her skirt was not acceptable."

"I tripped."

"Is that a lie?" She asks him, folding her arms in front of her.

Sunny bites his lip, rubs at his hair with one hand as he thinks it over, "Sorta."

Nate laughs a little, looks over at Chuck who's smirking at the little boy, the girl's are smiling at him; but for once Sunny isn't paying them any attention. He's focused on his aunt.

Blair nods, "We're going to walk over there again and you are going demonstrate what a polite young man you can be. And this is not going to happen again, Sunny," she paused, her hand reaches out to take his as she says sternly, "Is it?"

Sunny sighs, deep and dramatic, but nods, "No, Ma'am."

"Good, because—"

But Sunny's gaze shifts past his Auntie B then and his eyes go wide, a smile stretching across his face as he cuts her words off with an excited, "Oh! Oh! Uncle Chuck!"

Sunny pulls out of Blair's hold and he's racing across the patio before they've even turned around and looked.

When they do turn around and look; they stare. He's Chuck alright, standing in the doorway, he's wearing dark slacks, a deep plum colored shirt, and a straight tie with patterns of lavender and a darker purple on it. He's bending down to lift Sunny into a hug and he's smiling and he looks… _grown-up. _

Blair, well, she always looks grown-up, even now with her fitted dress and elegant heels, her hair styled into a French twist and her neck adorned with jewelry—she looks young, but somehow grown-up.

Chuck has not always had this distinction, despite his penchant for suits and ties there's always a flair in his features that brands him _boy. _

Not anymore.

The man listening intently to the tale Sunny is reciting is a competent, businessman and every line of his body and face says so.

They watch as the older Blair shoots the tents, a bit more crowded now, a quick look before moving to the patio. She reaches him and lands both her hands on his chest, Chuck's free arm coming around her waist as she turns all three of them inside the room and away from prying eyes.

"Dude!" Nate breathes, grinning as he punches Chuck in the arm, "Look at you!"

"I have to see this," Serena says and there's maybe a smile in her voice; because focusing on the lives of her best friend and brother is easier than looking closely at her own. Always has been.

Chuck stays back for a moment after Serena and Nate rush off towards the patio; stares at the spot where _he _had stood.

"Come on." He looks at Blair when she speak and he knows there's a tinge of panic in his eyes, which is ridiculous because this isn't real, but even so… it's there.

"It isn't real, okay." She tells him and then she's taking his hand and they're walking towards the patio and slipping inside the game room.

Nate and Serena are watching intently. Sunny is still in Chuck's arms, looking into his face as he avidly explains what had just occurred outside. "—and so I might'a tripped a little bit and then the cup sort of spilled a little bit on'er."

They watch as the older Chuck arcs his eyebrows and says, "Uh-oh."

"It was a accident!" Sunny defends himself.

And then his Auntie B clears her throat.

Sunny sighs without even looking over at her. "Okay. It wasn't."

Chuck smirks at him; it's a kind and amused gesture. "Did you apologize?"

"No. But Auntie B said I have to."

"You do," Chuck agrees and lowers the boy the floor. He ruffles Sunny's hair as he straightens and adds, "When you want to teach someone a lesson, frontal attacks in the presence of witnesses are not ideal."

Sunny looks up, "Oh okay… so, secret attacks then, Uncle Chuck?"

His Uncle nods very seriously, "That's the way to go."

"Oh, okay."

"Of _course _you would tell my kid that," Serena hisses at her Chuck.

He's frowning, about to respond, when Sunny whirls towards them. A bright smile on his face, "Oh!" He says happily, "This is my Uncle Chuck. He's Cash and Harm's daddy." He explains to them.

"Shh!" Blair says quickly, as the older Chuck and Blair exchange a quick glance over Sunny's head, "Remember our game!?" She tells him.

Sunny cringes a little, "Whoops! Sorry…!" His gaze skims over them again, "Can we start over?"

"Start what over, Sun?" His uncle asks, "Who are you speaking to?"

"Yes, let's start right now," Serena tells the boy.

Sunny stares at her, considers, and then turns to his Uncle, "The invisible people. But we're playing a game where I don't talk about them too much since no else can see them and I forgot, but I remember now and we're starting over."

In front of him, his aunt and uncle stare at him. Behind him, Blair and Chuck do the same.

And then Chuck sighs, whispers very quietly, "Nathaniel, he is _definitely_ your son."

Nate shoots Chuck a quick scowl. "Well, I wasn't doubting it," he hisses and Serena sends him a small, sweet smile for the words.

"Alright," the older Blair says firmly, "Sunny go on and tell Mrs. Wintray you're sorry for the accident and then you can play tag with the Jamison boys."

Sunny bounces on his feet, "Really! No more meeting people!"

"No more meeting people, go on."

Sunny nods and starts running off. He stops abruptly though and looks over at his aunt and uncle, "When Mommy and Dad get here, we can watch the stars like last time!" And then he takes off, not calling for them to go with him.

"You think he's starting to think we really are invisible?" Nate wonders.

"I think he wants to play tag," Serena answers wryly.

They share a quick a smile before turning their attention back to the older Chuck and Blair. The two are facing each other, but not speaking or talking—which is causing the younger Chuck and Blair to tense up exponentially with each second that passes.

Serena clears her throat and pastes a smile on her face as she motions towards the older couple, "Aw, look you guys. You still do that… _matching_ thing… you do."

She shoots Nate a pointed look and he jumps on the bandwagon, "Oh! Yeah... you look really… uh… purple together. It's… sweet."

Serena rolls her eyes and opens her mouth, but just then Blair, the older one, moves forward and right into Chuck's arms.

She sighs, presses her face into shoulder for a moment and then lays her cheek on against him. He wraps his arms around her, kisses her temple and hair and cheek.

"Rough day?" He asks her a beat later— and they notice then, his voice is different, deeper, less lilting.

"You have no idea."

"Tell me."

"Gail's having problems with her sister-in-law. She's been flakey all day so they've been running amok. Gracie refused to put on a dress and I'm fairly certain she's concocted something that will blow up spectacularly in our faces by the end of the evening. Liam is systematically shutting down his emotions in preparation for Serena's arrival. Sunny's talking to imaginary friends he swears are invisible people that look just like Serena and I. And Cash has secluded himself in the pool house."

Chuck nods slowly, "And Harm?" He says after beat.

Blair lifts her head and smirks at him, "My baby boy is a darling."

Chuck scoffs, mouth twisting in a smirk, "Which is to say you haven't caught him in anything today."

"Correct."

"Is that all?" He wonders quietly.

"No. Could you please reassure me that Serena is actually bringing an associate with her."

Chuck stares at her for a moment too long; his dark eyes fixed on her face even as he visibly searched his memories, "I cannot."

Blair scowls, "Dammit."

"It doesn't mean it isn't true." He tells her.

"She'd have to run that by you."

"She'd run it by Caroline."

"Who would run it by you."

"Who I've told not to run anything by me this month since I'm here; I didn't even let her speak to me today since I was there to do three urgent things and no more," he pauses, licks his lips, "Because my wife, I told her, was hosting a get-together for my sister and I was obliged to attend—which I've done. And have yet to see any recompense for."

"Your wife," she said teasingly, "Appreciates the effort and wants to take the opportunity to remind you you're down to three free passes this quarter; and needs you to check. Quickly."

He arcs an eyebrow, leans in a little closer to her, "My wife is a tyrant..."

She brings a hand to his cheek, "… who missed you today."

"Ah," he says and presses a soft kiss to her mouth, "And she was missed."

She laughs, mouth pressing against his for another moment; and then pulls back, "I have to get back out there. Please sneak around and get the boys. I sent Harm to get Cash and they've since both disappeared."

He nods, but doesn't let her go, "This imaginary friend problem...?"

"I talked to Greg about it. He and Eric will be here tonight."

"Good. And is Nathaniel coming?"

Blair shakes her head, "No, he has Annie this week, I think."

"Then why does Sunny think his Dad will be here to watch the stars tonight?"

Blair blinks; and then rolls her eyes. "Oh wonderful," she says, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

Chuck nods. "She does somehow take after her Aunt B."

"I swear, sometimes I wish there more Humphrey in that girl and less Rhodes."

"Bite your tongue," Chuck growls and then he's pulling her close, his mouth close to hers, "Or let me."

She does; but for only a moment, then pulls back.

"Go on," she tells him, "I'll see if I can do damage control." He nods, but again doesn't move until she peals his arms off of her waist. "Go…" she prods as he takes one step away from her. Then she straightens her dress and asks, "How's my lipstick?"

He smirks, the time-honored one they're all familiar with, as he whispers, "Too perfect."

"Chuck!" She squeaks when he grabs her again; laughs when he kisses her. It's quick and affectionate and so relaxed it makes all four of them smile a little.

And then he's moving off, outside and rounding the house on the other side, away from the party; and she's left smiling and rolling her eyes, fixing her dress one more time and drawing in a deep breath before moving back out to the lawn to play hostess.

They're quiet for a long moment after; thoughts awhirl as what they'd seen coalesced in their minds.

Chuck and Blair were married.

Chuck and Blair were happy.

Chuck and Blair were raising a family.

Nate laughs a little then, as he lands another shove on Chuck's shoulder, "Guess you must figure out that _making-time_ thing then, huh…"

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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the awesome reviews! This chapter sees us finally with Serena! I hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading. :)

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Chuck took the shove in stride, without comment, eyes still fixed on the spot where the older Chuck and Blair had stood; Blair was doing the same—staring at the spot as if what had just occurred were incomprehensible.

Serena sighs, "Okay guys, it's not _that_ shocking."

Nate nods, "Yeah, snap out of it. What'd you think being married was gonna be like?"

Blair blinks, looks up at Nate— and for one moment, that instant when their gazes meet, he can see that she'd let herself think of it with Chuck, only with him; and he looks away, knows she does too.

"So you're happy…" Serena continues, looking between Blair and Chuck, "It really isn't that odd."

Blair looks to Serena and she blinks again, licks her lips and draws in a deep breath, "Well, no," she says carefully and then shifts her gaze to Chuck slowly.

He feels it, the weight of her gaze, and looks over at her.

"Is it?" She asks him archly, eyebrows a bit high, her lips pursed, but there's a thread of uncertainty in her voice they can all make out.

Chuck swallows and pulls up a smirk that doesn't make it all the way to his eyes, "Of course it isn't," he answers her steadily. But the touch of panic is his eyes hadn't faded with the image of his and Blair's happy marriage; only cemented itself a little deeper.

_Could they do that? _

_Could he become that? _

_And how?_

"Let's go back outside," Nate says into the silence; sending Serena a look of worry.

Her reaction to what she had seen so far had been to be expected—turning into a version of her mother was precisely the future didn't want. But Chuck and Blair's reaction was not and it was making him anxious… but then again, when had Chuck and Blair ever done things as was expected of them?

Serena nods. "You… you wanted to see the other boy, B…" she says quietly, reaches for her friend's hand, "Let's go."

"I bet the pool house is around to the other side." Nate offers, tilting his head towards the doors, eyes on Chuck.

Chuck nods at Nate and then he shakes his head a little to dispel the mood as they quietly leave the house. The music outside is a tad livelier and the tents are bit more crowded. Colorful lanterns have been lit in preparation for dusk and they all spot Blair smiling and nodding with a cluster of women underneath the main canopy.

As they cross the patio and lawn, Sunny sees them. He stops in his play to wave at them and Chuck smirks as Nate waves back; Serena and Blair exchange a quick smile before they each bring a finger to each of their lips in a _shh _gesture. He shrugs at them and continues to run around after the soccer ball.

"Guess he got tired of tag," Nate says.

"Maybe he's playing both," Serena offers.

And then they share a quick grin, because they'd always done that as kids—played multiple games at one time and Blair had always—

"You can't play two games at once," Blair huffs, slicing right into their shared memory; and the two blondes grin wider, "You play one or the other, but if you play two at once then you are not participating fully in either." She continues as they round the bend and find the pool. It's long and gleaming with a diving board at one end; and they see a small building off to the side of it that must be their destination.

Nate laughs a little as Serena giggles at Blair's comment. The blonde gives her friend's had a squeeze, "Maybe he's just that awesome, B," she teases, "Able to fully participate in both!"

Blair sends Serena a skeptical look, but her gaze is drawn to the building they're approaching and the man standing the doorway.

Chuck had not said a word as they had walked; but now he stops and he watches. They could see the man, the older Chuck, and tell that he speaking, but he was facing inwards and they couldn't hear him.

"We could walk through him," Serena offers, biting her lip, "To get inside."

"I think not," Blair hisses, "That feeling is not _pleasant._"

Nate nods, "I bet that's what a ghost feels like."

Blair rolls her eyes.

Serena laughs a little, nodding, "Maybe… like in Casper when Christina Ricci's character puts her hand through—"

"He's moving," Chuck interrupts.

And Serena falls silent, shifting her gaze back to the building. The older Chuck has turned sideways in the doorway and he's motioning out.

"Well," Blair says, "Let's go then." And she walks towards it, pulling Serena with her, and slips inside without another comment.

Nate looks over at Chuck, "Come on, man. It's fine… this is like… a dream. Nothing to worry about."

Chuck looks over and meets his friend's gaze, finds the dark blue eyes intent and concerned; sees in those eyes the same thing he's feeling— that the more time they spend here, the less it seems like a dream, it's too detailed, too accurate, too flawed…

"Right," he says anyway and then they're moving inside. They move past the older Chuck, whose eyes are fastened on the small sandy-blonde haired boy in front him.

Harm's pale blue eyes are flashing and he's frowning at his father, "If Cash doesn't go, then I should get to stay from the next one!" He yells, "And Gracie too!"

Serena and Blair were standing just inside the room; they made space for the boys to join them as they quickly took in their surroundings and then they settled their eyes on the small boy and his father.

It wasn't a large space; but comfortably outfitted with a desk, a couple sofas, two bookcases, a coffee table, an armchair, plush rugs, and of course, cabinets that likely held pool equipment. There was a door that probably led to a bathroom and a counter that marked the beginning of a small kitchen area.

"Duly noted, Harmon," the older Chuck says to his youngest son, "But you will do as you are told. And Cash will do as he is. Now you go back to that party. Do not make me tell you again."

Harm glares, brows scrunched together. "Fine," he snits. "But it's not _fair." _

Chuck gives him a small, one-shouldered shrug as the boy stomps towards him, "Fair is relative."

And the little boy sounds like he actually growls as he leaves the room.

"He's never that abhorrent for his mother," Chuck continues almost to himself as his gaze follows the boy past the pool and around towards the party.

The room is quiet for the space of a breath and then a wry voice says, "Well no. She's _Mom_."

And they all swivel in the direction of the voice. He's spinning on the desk chair, a smirk planted firmly on his face and they gape at him. Mouth's actually dropping open, because it turns out that Cash Bass, looks exactly like his father.

"Cash," his father says, turning from the doorway to face the boy. His voice is stern and he shuts the door behind him without looking at it.

The smirk fades a little from the child's face and he sits up a little straighter. "Father."

Blair winces a little at the tone in the boy's voice. Beside her she can feel Chuck tense at it too; at the seriousness and the tension in the space around them. The room is silent and the four of them can do nothing, but stare at this boy— Chuck and Blair's oldest son.

"My god," Serena whispers and shoots her Chuck a quick look before fastening her eyes on Cash again; studying the resemblance.

He's wearing plaid shorts in white and varying shades of green, a white button-down shirt with a darker green vest to compliment his shorts, and soft-looking brown loafers. His dark brown hair is cut short and sticking up tufts at different angles as if he'd just run his finger through it.

And he has his father's eyes, almond-shaped and honey-colored. And his father's mouth pursed and tilted at a mocking angle. And his father's cheekbones and his father's jaw, sharp and defined.

"Chuck, man…" Nate breathes.

Blair licks her lips, pulls her hand from Serena's as she takes a step towards where Cash is sitting. There's a tennis ball in his hands and he's fingering the felt of it slowly.

The older Chuck takes a step to the side of the door and then he leans his back against the wall, crosses his arms over his chest as he casts his gaze in his son's direction.

Cash presses his lips together, meets his father's look. The anxiety in the room rockets up a notch and Serena and Nate shoot each other a glance full of worry. Chuck is staring at the boy as if he were an apparition—which in some ways, they supposed he was.

The older man stares at his son for another beat and then he arcs an eyebrow at him.

And just like that Cash's face twitches and he huffs, "Aw Dad!"

It's an exclamation that releases every iota of tension in the room. The older man pushes off the wall and narrows his eyes at the boy, but there's a smirk playing around his lips. "You are upsetting your mother."

Cash looks outraged, "She's upsetting me!"

"Is she now?"

"Yes. She insists that I attend…" his lips curl a little, "That _cook-out _she's organized."

"Yes, I'm aware." Chuck agrees.

"I won't do it. I've enough standing those lame-brained, louts when they aren't amassed in my back yard," he states; before shooting his father a quick scowl, "Handling _my _things, I'll have you know, in their careless, imbecilic _games_."

And Chuck sighs at that, his face relaxing as he brings a hand to rub over his face, "Cash—"

"Not to mention that Aunt Serena is getting _divorced _this summer— which means she will be coming and going at least seventeen more times this season. And I _refuse _to be subjected to those women _seventeen _times."

A smirk lights Chuck's face as he moves forward, "Subjected? What women?" He asks curiously.

Cash nods, frowning. "From the neighborhood. They pat me. On the. _Head, _Dad." He says it very slowly, as if to ensure his Dad gathers all the significant horror in the act.

Chuck's smirk widens as he sits down on one of the sofas across from his son. The boy rolls the chair closer, passing the tennis ball from hand to hand as he continues, "I am not _four."_

"We all must deal with frustrations, son."

"Sure. I'll deal with it at the last party; at the end of the summer."

"You will deal with it tonight and every night your mother decides to have an event in this house. You will not hide in here like a child." Chuck's voice is underlined with steel.

"I _am _a child." Cash counters.

Chuck considers him. "Alright then," he says carefully.

And they watch Cash tense at the agreement.

A beat passes and then Chuck continues, "Just so you know, _children _do not to spend three weeks out of their summer's working with me."

Cash's eyes go wide at this announcement and the ball slips from between his fingers. It falls to the floor and bounces its way over to Chuck, who leans forward and picks it up as his son sputters.

"Dad! That's not—! You can't do that!" He protests, sounding very young, suddenly. "I've been reading and studying all week to go to Bass with you! You said I could!"

"And I am still saying you can," Chuck agrees, "Only that it's dependent on certain factors."

"You're blackmailing me!"

"Negotiating."

Cash blows out a breath and runs his hand through his hair. Chuck bounces the ball back at him and Cash catches it.

They're silent for a moment and then Chuck says softly, "I didn't see Nigel out there."

"Nigel's in Egypt with his Father." Cash answers immediately.

Chuck nods, "Is this the problem?" He asks gently, "You'll have no one to play with?"

Cash looks supremely offended, "I'm _twelve, _Dad. I don't _play." _

His Dad nods, to his credit, understandingly. "Perhaps you could sit with Liam. As I understand it, he's unaccompanied this evening."

"He is?!" Cash sounds surprised at that, "I thought he'd bring Candace."

"She isn't here."

"Oh," he says as he thinks that over and then his face brightens, a smirk gracing his features, "Dad, I bet she's really disappointed. I should go over there and talk to her, you know, make sure she's okay." He says, his youthfulness making the words just a tad too earnest to be sincere.

And Nate laughs at that, elbows his Chuck in the ribs as he whispers, "Dude. He's like a mini-Chuck." But his friend doesn't respond, gaze fixed on the scene before them.

The older Chuck nods knowingly, smirking as well; he knows exactly what his son wants to talk to Candace about. "Certainly should. Tomorrow."

"Dad! Aunt Serena is—"

"Did she call today?" Chuck asks abruptly, "About bringing someone?"

"Yeah, she wanted Mom to get the guest room ready, said she's bringing a prospective client for you," he snickers a little, leaning back the chair, "Gracie threw a fit this morning; spent the whole day slamming things and yelling."

"She doesn't think it's true?"

"Nope."

"Well. It is. It's your aunt's job to scout prospective clients. If she says she's bringing one, then she is."

"She's getting divorced too." Cash says, dryly; tone implying a little too much.

Chuck frowns at his son, says, "Hm," a bit doubtfully, "Mind your tongue in that respect, Cash." The tone is mild, but the boy reacts.

He licks his lips, nodding, and says quickly, "Yes, sir."

There's a pause and then Chuck's expression clears as he changes the subject, "Party. Now."

And Cash huffs again. "It's ridiculous!" He cries, bouncing the tennis ball in his hands towards his Dad, "There's no point to it."

Chuck catches the bounce back that Cash tosses him, "Look, I acknowledge that your mother's events are at times…" he pauses, a smirk on his face again as he bounces it back, "_Superfluous_," he finishes carefully. But then he shrugs, the smirk widening to a smile, "But they bring her pleasure."

Cash sighs as he bounces the ball back. "They treat us like we're monkeys on display at these things. And I don't get it; none of the other kids get pinched or petted so much."

"We were a bit infamous in our youths," Chuck tells him quietly, "I'm afraid you and your cousins are a bit of a novelty."

"And Mom's always calling one of us over to meet someone."

Chuck bounces the ball back. "Sunny spilled his soda on Mrs. Wintray already. Accidently, of course."

Cash cringes, catching the ball, even as he grins and a twinkle appears up his gaze, "Bad move. Should'a gone for putting jam on her chair…"

The wide smile, the twinkling eyes, the disheveled hair all serve to give him a mischievous air and Blair breathes a laugh as she studies him; this would be her first baby.

"Yes, I advised him not to practice frontal assaults."

"He doesn't get it," Cash says with a laugh, bouncing it back. "Come on, Dad. Let me bail on this one."

"Sorry, kid. Get yourself to the house and dress up," Chuck pauses, waggles his eyebrows at Cash, "I have someone for you to meet."

"Dad!" The boy says it on a frustrated laugh as he bounces the ball roughly back at his father.

The older man laughs, reaches out and plucking it from the air. There's a familiar feel to the act, to the air around them, comfortable, like they'd done this a dozen times already—sneak to the pool to talk and bounce a ball.

"Let's just stay here, you and me! You can tell me what you did today!"

"Cash, your mother will have unspeakable torments ready for me when reappear if I don't join her at this gathering in a few minutes." Chuck tells him, bouncing the ball back gently.

Cash rolls his eyes, catches it, and then looks down at it in his hands.

"What about when Serena gets here, huh? And she looks around and sees the whole family. Everyone except you. Do you want that? And you know Sunny will tell her that you didn't want to come."

The boy looks up, "Okay _that _is blackmail, of the emotional variety."

"You're correct. Is it working?"

"No. Aunt Serena never makes me do anything I don't want to do. She'll understand why I didn't want to go to this thing. Quite frankly, Dad, I'm shocked _you_ don't."

His Dad stares at him and then presses his lips together. And the air changes again, becomes charged, as if a challenge has been issued.

"I had a 3 and a half hour commute," Chuck says, "After a 9 hour day where I had to fit 13 hours of work in, to get here in time for this _thing_, Cassius. So you bet your little, loafer-loving self I don't understand."

Cash nods, perfectly calm despite the bite in his Dad's voice, "Ah, so this is one of those _if I have to do it, you have to do it_, moments."

"Exactly."

"Stellar parenting, Dad."

"Do you _want _me to write you out of the will, Cash?"

"Sure. Go ahead. Leave it all to Harm. The _gardener."_

Chuck cracks a smile at that, "He's an elephant trainer this week."

Cash throws his head back and laughs, "It's tiger trainer today! It's a circus you know, Gracie's going to be the gypsy queen."

Chuck shakes his head, smiling; and then he stands.

Cash groans and drags himself up from the chair; lets the tennis ball slip from his fingers. It lands with a bounce and rolls over to where the four of them stand, right through Serena's foot. She yelps and hops away.

"Ten minutes?" Cash asks hopefully as he walks up to his Dad.

Chuck drops an arm around his shoulders, "Thirty."

"Fifteen."

Chuck shakes his head, "Twenty-five."

"Twenty."

"Twenty-five," Chuck repeat firmly.

"Dad!"

"And that means, mingling. Saying hello and grabbing a drink and smiling."

They're at the door now and Cash looks up at his Dad, very seriously, "Nix the smiling," he says.

And Chuck nods once, "Deal." Then he pulls the kid in for a quick hug and they're gone; stepping outside and closing the door behind them.

"Well," Blair says into the silence a beat later, "That was…" she trails off.

Serena nods and then looks at Chuck; who's looking a bit shell-shocked. She pats him on the shoulder and sends Blair a grin, "You guys… you're good parents."

Nate nods, "Yeah, it's kinda… weird."

Chuck starts a little, sends Nate a narrow-eyed look, "Thank you, Nathaniel."

"Yeah, Nate," Blair adds, "Your confidence in us is overwhelming."

He laughs, "No, no! That's not what I meant!" But he's grinning and they can tell that it's at least _partly _what he meant.

"You know," Serena says softly, her gaze falling to the ground for a moment before looking up and meeting first Chuck's and then Blair's gazes, "I hope… this _is _real, for you two. It's—"

"It's _not." _Chuck hisses, gaze abruptly hard as he rakes it over all three of them, "It's not real. You really think I'd be that— that I'd turn out to be—" he cuts himself off, shakes his head and moves towards the door.

Nate reaches out, grabs his arm, "Hey man, don't—"

But Chuck brushes him. Serena watches wide-eyed as her brother stalks toward the exit.

"Yes."

Blair's soft word stalls him, but he doesn't turn around.

"I think you would," she continues, "Be that good."

And then she walks forward too, passes him without another word or a single touch. Chuck holds still for another breath and then he follows her out of the building.

When they're gone, Nate and Serena release simultaneous deep breaths. It startles them both and they look at each other, meet one another gaze and smile a little sheepishly.

She sighs. "They're so…" and she makes a hand motion, _extreme, _it says.

Nate nods, reading the gesture. "Yeah," he agrees and then he reaches out and touches the side of her head; his fingers rubbing her hair, "You doing okay?" He wonders gently.

It makes a lump appear in her throat and the back of her eyes burn, that gesture; but she makes herself smile and nod, "Yeah… I'm okay."

He stares at her for a moment and then gives her a small smile, his hand sliding down from her hair and skimming her arm, shoulder to wrist, until he finds her hand and takes it in his. "Nah, I don't think so," he whispers and gives her a squeeze.

She breathes a sad laugh and closes her eyes; and she's leaning forward before she's even thought about it and his arms are wrapping around her for the second time that day and it feels even more perfect this time; more soothing, more _right. _

He closes his eyes too, when she tucks her head under his chin, presses a kiss to the top of her head; even as he's telling himself that he has a girlfriend and they're stuck in some sort of other dimension where they're ghosts—so this is really not the time…

But it's hard to argue with way she fits in his arms or how the scent of her makes him ache.

"Do you think I'm terrible?" She asks him, voice small.

His hold tightens, "Never."

"But I… I have all these kids with different… different men… and I… I'm a mess."

"You're _Serena,_" he says with emphasis, like that means something and she squeezes her eyes shut tighter, holds on to the way he says her name. "And we don't know anything that's happened," he continues, "And your kids are all amazing." He adds fiercely.

She nods against him, believes that; listens to the way he says it. "We need to get Sunny to show Blair that picture…" she say softly, pulling back, "See if we can piece all this together… get out of here..."

He nods, dropping his arms from her.

They just look at each other for a moment and then she offers him a small, sincere smile, draws in a deep breath and turns towards the door.

"Thanks for the hug, Archibald." She tells him a moment later when he opens the door for her.

He grins down at her as she slips outside, "Any time."

It's evening now, a gathering of stars visible faintly overhead. The moon is full, and bathing them in gentle light, adding fairylike ambiance to the party; and they both know that Blair had taken that into account when she'd planned what sort of party to have.

She laughs quietly at his comment, punches his arm a little as they, "You just like to feel me up."

He laughs too as they approach the tents, "Well, _yeah." _He agrees unrepentantly.

She rolls her eyes and they're almost to the side-patio when they hear a shriek coming from the party. Quick, alarmed glances and they're joining hands to run over there; they come to a full halt beside Chuck and Blair who are standing just outside the main canopy.

"What happened?!" Serena asks, but the question is answered almost before she's asked it.

Because standing at one end of the tent, is… herself. Wearing black Valentino flats and tight blue jeans with a bright coral top and an immense grin, is a woman who can be no other than her future self. Her hair is the same golden blonde it's always been, but she's styled it into a long, intricate braid with wisps of it loose around her face. She's just as tall and just as thin; and just as untamed looking.

Nate breathes a quiet _wow, _as Serena looks on with a sense of dread filling. She shouldn't look so _free _when she had three children, should she?

"You're here," Blair says quietly.

"And making quite the entrance," Chuck adds, sounding perversely amused.

And then Sunny is launching himself at her, at this woman; shrieking again and crying _Mommy!_ So loudly he was heard over the music. A softer melody was playing now, likely in deference to the homecoming.

And the older Serena's laughing, running forward, scooping him into her arms and twirling him around. The guest's back away to clear the path for them as they watch with indulgent smiles on their faces and take sips of champagne.

But the woman with the bright hair and bright top and bright smile doesn't notice. "Sunny!" She cries, holding him tightly as she spins; his laughter a bubble of joy that lights up the festivities more than any music or alcohol could, "My Sunny-Sunshine!" She laughs with him, slowing down as they spin out from underneath the tents.

He giggles, lifting his face to the sky as they twirl more slowly; his joy so bright and infectious that Serena feels a smile spread across her face despite her misgivings, "Mommy! You're back!" He continues happily.

"I missed you so, so much, my baby!" She coos at him, slowing to a stop as she presses kisses all over his little face.

He laughs, squirming in her hold and she shifts to hold him with one arm, brings her free had to his face, brushes at his silky hair, runs her fingers over his brows and his nose and his little smiling mouth before tugging him closer to her for another quick hug.

And he giggles through all of it.

Serena notices then; as do Nate and Chuck and Blair, that Gracie and Liam are standing there— that Serena's spin had been calculated to bring her directly before her two other children.

They hadn't walked into the tent to greet her. And that was significant enough that they understood why the crowds had parted so easily. They were watching, waiting, for the gossip.

And they watch as she turns to her older children; watch as Serena's smile doesn't dim a single watt, but it shifts into a question only her family can see.

"Mommy's home!" Sunny announces joyfully to his siblings, "She's back!"

"I see that," Liam answers quietly.

Gracie doesn't respond, she stares at hr mother; her young face frozen in a heartbreaking mask of indecision. Her hair had been tied back at some point and without it framing her face and with the moonlight illuminating her features she looks incredibly young.

"My girl," her mother says sweetly, "Will you give me a hug?"

Everything stills for a beat, even Sunny. And then Gracie runs to her, buries her face against her mother as she whispers, "_Mom._"

Serena grin turns relieved and she lowers her face to kiss the top of Gracie's head, her free arm holding the girl close, "Oh honey," she whispers; and they can hear it in her voice then, sorrow.

A moment passes and her gaze lifts to Liam; her expression an odd echo of the one Gracie had just worn. Liam offers her a bright smile that doesn't come close to reaching his eyes. He steps forward and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Nice to see you found your way back, Mom." He tells her, voice blank.

Serena licks her lips, swallows hard, the smile fading almost completely, "Liam—"

And then he's reaching for Sunny, taking the boy out of her arms, "Let Mom mingle, Sun, it's her party."

Sunny laughs as he's shifted into Liam's hold, "Mommy, will you play with me!? When the party ends!? And color!? And we can have cereal!?"

Serena's arm drops around Gracie now, so she's holding the little girl completely, both hands in the girl's hair. Gracie has wrapped her arms around Serena's waist and closed her eyes.

"Sure, baby," Serena whispers, voice tight.

Blair joins them then; her expression pinched, eyes dark. "Serena," the tone is hard, furious.

Serena jumps guiltily, gaze flying to Blair's. "I have a good explanation," she pre-empts.

And Liam takes his cue, "Come on Gracie, you and Harm can show me how exactly your gonna make this gypsy-queen, tiger-trainer thing work."

The girl pulls back then, looks up at her mother. Serena shifts and meets her gaze.

"Mom…" she begins, but trails off.

Serena bends down a little and kisses her forehead. "We're going to talk tonight," she promises.

And then Liam is moving away and she is following him.

The moment they're out of earshot, Blair takes Serena's arm in an iron grip and pulls her towards the patio.

The four of them don't even have to look at each other to know they're following where those two are going. Chuck and Blair lead with Nate and Serena right on their heels as the older Blair hauls her best friend across the lawn, past the patio and into the game room.

"You _have a good reason?!" _She hisses at her when they're away from the curious looks and murmured questions of the guests. "That's _fantastic," _she continues scathingly, "A _brilliant _testimony to give to the newspapers, blogs, and _emergency services _that will amass here for the _bloodshed_ that will occur when my husband finds that _Carter Baizen _is in his _living room."_

Serena stares at Blair for a long a moment and then yanks her arm free. "I _do _have a good reason."

"_No, _you don't!" Blair snaps, "There _is _no reason good _enough!"_

The room is deathly still and in the silence of the future S & B's glares, Chuck turns to his sister and levels on her a baleful glare of his own, "Well, dear sister," he remarks, "You certainly know how to liven up a party."

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	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

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Serena doesn't reply to Chuck's jibe, watches instead the way her older self scowls at Blair.

"You're overreacting," the blonde states, "There won't be bloodshed."

"You need to get Carter out of my house," Blair snaps angrily, neither denying nor contradicting the statement, "Why is he even _here?!" _She continues as she walks back to the patio door and shuts it firmly.

The answer must come to her, because when she turns back to Serena her brown eyes have gone wide, disbelief covering her features, "Did you _seriously _ask me to make up the guest room for _him?!" _She shouts, fury in every syllable, "He is _not _staying here!"

"He really _is _a prospective client!" Serena defends, folding loose strands of her braid behind her ear, "It's been done before!"

Blair stalks back towards her best friend, eyes narrowed now, "If Bass Inc. were on the verge of bankruptcy and every property we owned were seized along with every shred of jewelry and scrap of clothing not on our person and there was a one-hundred percent chance that our entire family would be sleeping at a _Motel 6 _that night, Chuck would _still _refuse to work the Carter Baizen!"

Serena rolls her eyes and makes a face at Blair, "He would not," she says with an airy hand gesture, "Hesitate, maybe. But not outright refuse."

Blair glares at her and then whirls around, paces a few steps before coming back to her, drawing in a deep breath.

"You remain frustratingly _dense, _Serena," Blair spits.

"Look, Blair—"

"You need to get him out of this house, right now." Blair interrupts, her voice determinedly serious.

And that tone seems to set off alarms in Serena's mind. The woman's eyes widen, her expression becoming careful as she asks, "Why? What's going on?"

Blair answers promptly, "Gracie's up to something."

"What is it?"

"I don't know—"

Serena's eyebrows shoot upwards, "How do you not know!?" She cuts in before Blair finishes speaking.

And Blair scowls at her, "It's been a busy day! But you wouldn't _know _that would you?!"

Both Serena's wince at the sharp words and the younger Blair shifts closer to her Serena; reaches over and hooks her arm through her friend's. The four of them are huddled together, staring at the scene with wary interest.

The older Serena blows out a breath, looks down for a moment, before nodding and meeting Blair's gaze again. "Right, sorry… I just…" She trails off and the room is silent for a beat.

And the four of them can see it now, under the overhead lights of the game-room, they can see that her jeans are tight, but not skin-tight and that her blouse is bright, but not low cut; they can see the maturity in the planes of her face, the faint lines of aging, the way her gaze and stance speak of experiences and years gone by.

"It has to do with Nate," Blair tells her finally with less heat in her voice. She looks tired then, weariness flickering across her expression.

Serena brings a hand to her throat, surprise flitting across her features, "Wh—what about him?"

Blair's face is a touch grim as she explains. "Sunny thinks his Dad will be here to watch the stars. I can't reach Nate on his cell and there's no answer at his house." Blair gives that a minute to sink in and then she adds, "I wouldn't put it past Gracie to ask him to come, to lie even, particularly after your phone call this morning saying you were bringing a prospective client—"

"I _did _bring a prospective cli—"

"She didn't believe you. She thinks its code for new boyfriend."

Serena winces a little, but doesn't look away as Blair continues; "If he is coming here…" Blair shakes her head as she trails off, "I cannot have Nate and Carter in this house together— _especially_ during a _party, _Serena. Can you understand that?"

Serena's eyes flash at an unspoken insinuation the four of them don't see and the air around women charges with tension.

"Of course I can understand it," Serena snaps, "You don't have to say it like it's something I would want!"

"I don't know what you want!" Blair snaps back, voice rising.

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Serena yells.

"Oh, you're right; I _am_ being unclear aren't I?" Blair concludes icily, taking a step towards the blonde, "Allow me to speak more plainly," her voice is frigid as she continues, "What the _fuck _are you doing with Carter _again?!" _

"Interesting choice of words, Blair."

Blair does nothing as undignified as whirl around to face him; but she does turn and straighten, lifting her chin to glare at the newcomer spectacularly.

They shift their gazes to him too. Carter Baizen is standing at the entryway to the room. He's wearing tan slacks, an un-tucked blue shirt, and a brown blazer; his hair is rumpled, his face is stubbled, and he's smirking at Blair like he knows his mere presence is enough to make her seethe.

Serena sighs. "Carter," she mumbles reproachingly, "I told you to wait in the living room."

"You _should _have told him to stay in whatever dank, two-star hotel you found him in."

Carter laughs, looks past Blair to Serena, "And you said I wouldn't be welcome here," he tisks teasingly as he enters the room more fully.

"Stop it," Serena says very seriously, shooting him a disapproving look. She shifts her gaze to Blair, "I want us to move past all this."

And Blair looks absolutely incredulous as she faces her friend again. "Move _past _it!?" She echoes, the pitch of her voice rising. "Serena! You left your husband and children for an entire week and showed up plastered across tabloids and blogs in the arms of your ex-husband!"

"Blair—"

"It does sound rather tawdry the way she says it doesn't it?"

Blair turns to him again, clapping her hands once as she snarls, "Silence from you!"

Carter arcs an eyebrow a little and continues to smirk at her.

Serena takes another step towards Blair, crosses her arms in front of her, "I told you what happened. I told you that was a lie."

And it is Blair's turn now to blow out a breath. She gives Carter one last paint-peeling glare and then turns her body towards Serena, giving him her back. "And I believe you, S. But it's not me you have to convince. It's your husband. And having Carter here does not go a long way towards that end."

Serena licks her lips, "I can't help it if Nate doesn't trust me."

Blair frowns, "If not you, than who can?"

Serena sighs, uncrosses her arms to bring them up at her sides in a helpless gesture, "What more can I _say _to him, B!? I've told him what I told you and—"

"And now you're here with Carter!" Blair snaps, eyes flashing suddenly in a rush of anger.

"I do have a purpose in being here," Carter offers behind them, moving to sit on an armrest and watch them.

Blair doesn't acknowledge him; dark eyes pinned on Serena, "How is that going to help the situation?" She continues.

"How did serving me with divorce papers help the situation!?" Serena hisses, looking as angry as Blair now.

"Ladies, your shrieking is unbecoming…"

"Stay _out _of this, you uncouth hobbit!" Blair hisses, her gaze rakes over his form, "Were there no _razors _in the corner of the world you stashed yourself in!?"

"Blair, stop, don't--"

"Oh am I being rude to a guest I didn't invite into my home, Serena?"

"More bitchy than rude, I'd say."

"Carter!" Serena shouts, "Stop it! I was going to bring Chuck to you. I need to talk to him in private before you two meet, that's why—"

"Oh sure, because _Chuck's_ reaction to this will be _so _much more stellar than mine!" Blair says derisively.

Serena's face flushes with color at the tone, the words, and she abruptly looks near tears. Blair jerks back a little at the reaction. Carter stands, expression going serious, eyes concerned.

And Serena shakes her head, "I have to start somewhere, B," she says very softly, eyes meeting her sister's, "If I want to put everything right, I have to… to start somewhere."

The room silent for a moment and then Carter approaches her. "I'll talk to him," he says gently.

And Serena stiffens, eyes hardening, "You will _not. _That was our agreement," she tells him, "I let you help with this and you… stay _out _of that."

He sighs, touches her arm gently, "I want to—"

"I _need _you to stay out of it."

He drops his hand away from her. "But I'm _not _out of it, Serena," he answers softly, blue eyes fixed intently on her face.

She shakes her head at his words.

Blair is watching them with narrowed eyes.

"If the _him _you are referencing is _Nate _than I do believe you are both more delusional than I've given you credit for."

"I can see you've been a tremendous help in this situation," Carter snaps at his host, anger in his eyes.

"A situation _you _were the catalyst for," Blair snaps back.

Serena sighs, "Would you two—"

She doesn't finish her sentence. The patio door opens then, to admit Chuck, he's holding Sunny in his arms and speaking, "I believe the two of you—" his words end abruptly as his gaze zeroes in on Carter standing beside Serena instantly.

Everyone in the room tenses; the four onlookers included.

"—are not alone," Chuck finishes tightly as he very deliberately steps into the room and shuts the door behind him with his free hand. His gaze is flat and fastened on Carter and the room is oddly hushed for a moment.

"People are looking for you, Mommy!" Sunny announces into the quiet space, the only one not affected by the dismal atmosphere of the room, "We came to get you!"

Serena swallows hard, moves her gaze from her brother's frozen profile to her son's cheerful countenance.

But Sunny's gaze slips behind her before she can respond; slips to the four of them, "Oh, there you are!" He cries happily, "Did you see?! My mommy is here!" He continues excitedly.

"Oh Sunny," Serena whispers in soft consternation as she gazes at her future child; but no one has moved at Sunny's odd actions, no one has so much as glanced at him. The adults are preoccupied with each other.

"Our game," Blair reminds him quietly, giving Serena's arm a quick reassuring squeeze.

"Oh, but I'm not talking about—"

Sunny stops, because his Uncle is lowering him to the floor. "Go back to the party, Sunny," his Uncle orders firmly.

Sunny looks up at him, "But Uncle Chuck you said—"

"Do as I say now," Chuck interrupts and Sunny pouts, bottom lip puckering out and a frown appearing between his fair brows.

His gaze slides to his Mother. "Mommy—"

"You need to do as your Uncle says, baby," Serena tells him more gently, "We're going to…" she looks up then, between Chuck's darkly, glowering expression and Carter's carefully constructed bland one, before looking to her son once more, "To have a grown-up talk." She finishes.

Sunny's little frown deepens, "You're gonna have grown-up talk _now? _You jus' _got _here and—" Sunny blinks, gaze fixing on Carter then, "Who're you?" He wonders, voice brightening away from his complaint.

Carter starts a little, pulls his gaze from Chuck to skim Sunny's form before shooting Serena a quick look; and then he answers the little boy carefully, "My name is Carter."

The little boy smiles at him, "I'm Sunny!" He tells him.

Carter nods, "I know."

Sunny tilts his head, "You do?"

"Sunny, outside please," Blair tells him, "We're going to have our… talk… with _Mister Baizen _now_." _The formal address is calculated to tell Sunny to keep his distance from their guest.

Sunny shifts his gaze to his Aunt, looks about to speak.

"What is this!? Did the party move indoors or somet—" Cash's amused voice ends as abruptly as his father's had moments earlier, but he displays none of the restraint that had followed. "What are _you _doing here?!" He asks belligerently as he walks into the room.

The four of them jump apart quickly to avoid being walked through as the boy enters. He's dressed in for the party, hunter green shirt and light gray slacks, hair combed and vest buttoned; and the glare he has fastened on Carter is eerily reminiscent of his father's.

Carter sighs, waves a hand in the air, "I'm beginning to wonder the same thing, kid."

"Cash, take Sunny and go outside," Blair instructs her son; she's taken a step closer to Chuck, placed a hand delicately on his arm.

But Cash turns to Serena instead. "You broughthim _with_ you?" He accuses.

Serena takes a step towards, "Cash, it's not—"

"Take Sunny and go outside," Chuck cuts in, his voice hard even as his eyes slide over to his son.

"They have to do _grown-up talk," _Sunny says a little sulkily, "Now."

"Oh I _bet _they do," Cash agrees meeting his Dad's gaze, voice dripping with sarcasm, as he walks over to the little boy and takes his hand.

Sunny pout again; then his gaze slides to the four of them who are still watching intently. He opens his mouth to speak to them, but Nate beats him to it. "Shh!" He says to the little boy.

And beside him, Chuck nods at the boy, "We're going to stay here," he tells him.

Sunny looks like he's about to argue, but Serena adds softly, with a forced grin, "Remember our game! Shhh!"

And Sunny stops, considers, and then nods as Cash begins to tug him from the room.

"Cash," the older Serena says softly, reaching out to touch his shoulder as he guides her son away.

He doesn't draw back from her touch, but his gaze is no less accusing, "Welcome home," he tosses the words at her with spite.

And Serena flinches a little. He's pushing the door open when Chuck grabs his arm, levels a look on his son they can't decipher. But Cash blinks, looks away, and a moment later he gives Serena a softer glance as he leaves the room.

"Well," Carter states neutrally when the silence stretches for a few seconds too long, "This is… comfortable."

Blair glares at him.

Chuck nails his gaze to his sister, "What is he doing here?" The words are low, ice cold and smooth.

And the hand Blair has on Chuck's arm tightens a little.

Serena licks her lips, "Chuck…" she begins and then trails off, hesitant under that darkly restrained glare.

Carter looks between them for a moment before speaking, "Look, Bass—"

And Chuck snarls. "I am not interested in _anything _you have to say."

Carter sends him a smirk; the edges of it patronizing. "I can always count on you for consistency in that matter."

Chuck takes a step towards him and Blair clamps down harder on his arm. "There are twenty to twenty-five people on that lawn who would love nothing more than for someone to come crashing through those glass doors in a spectacular display of vulgarity— we are _above _that," she hisses.

Chuck grits his teeth; forces himself to turn away and glares at Serena instead. "Serena," he says. And he's waiting for her to answer him.

"I wanted…" she beings quietly, then takes a deep breath and straightens her shoulders a little; begins again, her voice steady, even if the look in her eyes is no less hesitant, "There's an opportunity here that we would all be foolish to overlook."

Her words seem to reverberate in the room for a moment.

And then the anger in Chuck's gaze shifts, expression changing somehow; and he blinks at her, "Are you telling me…" he trails off, gaze drifting to Carter, then back to Serena. "Are _suggesting _that I _work _with…" the concept seems to be too farfetched for him to even voice.

"He's the prospective client," Blair voices the thought he's having.

"As you know," Serena continues, "Carter's recently come into undeveloped property and he—"

Chuck shrugs Blair's hold off as he shakes his head and steps towards Serena, "You can't possibly be this naïve." He cuts in.

The soft words sting and she scowls at him, "You can't possibly be this unprofessional." She snaps.

"You want us, he and I, to work together?" His tone is still soft, truly disbelieving.

"She wants us to this all past us," Blair adds from behind Chuck.

"_Past _us?" Chuck echoes.

Serena doesn't back up, she stares at him as intently as he's staring at her.

"Do you _hear _yourself, Serena?" He asks her.

"She hears herself fine, Chuck," Carter states, "She's doing what you pay her to do, scouting opportunities that'll make you a shit load of money," he shrugs a little, "Which is what I could do…"

Chuck doesn't turn towards Carter; his gaze is fixed on Serena, expression dangerously calm, and when he speaks his voice matches it. "No," he says simply, "Consider the proposal rejected," and then a pause before he adds, "Get him outof my house."

"Chuck—"

"And if you want to go with him, _you can." _

Serena rears back, eyes filling with hurt and even Blair looks a little startled.

Carter glares, "Don't be a prick to her."

Chuck's face swivels towards him, but Serena moves to stand between them before her brother can speak; her face to him, her back to Carter.

"Be reasonable, Chuck—"

"Right. Like you were reasonable in bringing him here?" He hisses at her, "Where your _children _are?! He's bad news! I've told you this a hundred times!"

Serena stiffens. "Carter is my friend and we've done nothing _wrong." _

Beside Chuck, Blair makes a frustrated sound and frowns. "Why are you always like this," she huffs.

"Like what?!" Serena cries eyes wide.

"It's not what you've _done _that's the problem, Serena. It's what people _think! _What they're _saying! _And you never pay heed to what others say, to what they think!"

"Being a slave to society's standards doesn't work for me, Blair!"

"And neither does flaunting its every principle! Or are you _happy _with what you've done this summer?!"

"Enough!" Carter growls, "We didn't come here for this! Serena believed you both capable of putting our personal differences aside for a time to negotiate a mutually beneficial transaction. Obviously she overestimated your mental acuity."

They're standing face to face now; Chuck and Blair side-by-side, Carter just behind Serena and the tension in the room is palpable.

"No, that's not what I—" Serena's gaze is angry, hard, and it collides with Blair's, "You _know _I'm not happy with the way this has all…" she waves a hand, "Happened."

"And yet here you are," Chuck states, voice severe, "Perpetuating the events; giving credence to the rumors; feeding the gossip…"

"We've done—"

"The photographs were manufactured then?" Chuck's voice is low, silky, "You weren't together on a yacht in each other's arms?"

"It was a hug! His parents just died, it's allowed!"

"Is it _allowed _to travel under an assumed name? To leave your husband with no word—" Chuck cuts himself off abruptly, shook his head, "I'm not getting into this with you now," he says to her, restrained anger vibrating in his voice.

Serena laughs then, and it's scornful, "What's wrong, Chuck? Pissed that I outmaneuvered your PI's? Again."

"More like _pissed _that you made every trashy headline the world over! That you cheated on your husband!"

"Because god forbid anything reflect badly on _BASS INC. _right!?"

The room plunges into silence after her shout. It stretches and envelops them all until the heavy air threatens to suffocate them.

"And I _didn't," _Serena says finally, voice shaky with the weight of that silence, "I _wouldn't._ You _know _that."

"Ah, but darling," Carter murmurs when no one speaks further, he presses his hand to the small of Serena's back, "Chuck's always had a flair for the dramatic."

Blair scoffs at him, "Like you don't?"

It's the wrong thing to say.

Carter's lips quirk into a knowing smirk, his gaze slipping from angry to taunting as he looks to Blair, lets his eyes slide down the length of her and back to her face, "True. It is one of the… many things… we've shared."

And Chuck's eyes narrow to slits.

Serena whirls around to face Carter, her long braid whipping around her shoulders, and she smacks him on the arm, "Don't _do _that!" She reprimands.

He widens his eyes in faux innocence, "What?" The question and expression only hold up for couple seconds under Serena's disapproving gaze. And then he sighs, shrugs, looks almost repentant, except for the tiny smile, "It's habit," he offers.

"A bad one," Serena points out.

And then she turns back to Chuck, "I thought this was something we could do to… to heal," she says to him, "I'm trying to—"

"I know what you're trying to do, Serena," he says more softly, "I just think you're starting from the wrong angle."

Blair sighs then. "We've been in here too long. People will— I'm going to… go out there…" she says slowly, "You need to… sort this out," she gives Chuck a pointed look, "Calmly," she glances to Serena quickly, "Rationally," she lets her gaze skim over Carter, "And quickly." And then she leaves them, closing the door behind her until it clicks.

Chuck stares at them; his gaze going from Serena to Carter and back again. Serena draws in a deep breath, "It'd be good for all of us…"

"You really expect me to believe this is about real-estate?" He asks her when she trails off.

And suddenly, it's like Carter's is no longer present.

"Remember who you're talking to, S," Chuck continues, voice burning with a sentiment they can't quite define.

But Serena does, she lifts her chin a little, "I'm not using you, Chuck. It's undeveloped beachfront property in a prime locale that has—"

"It's the backing of Bass Inc. on a venture that lends legitimacy to your little escapes this season."

Serena stares at him in silence; and they realize with some surprise, that Chuck was not entirely off point. "Is that something you'd object you?" She wonders, "Giving me that legitimacy? Helping me polish some of the tarnish off of my name?"

"As I said, you've approached this from the wrong angle."

Carter scoffs behind Serena, "In other words he'd need Natie's permission."

Chuck's jaw clenches and Serena turns her head a little to give Carter a narrow-eyed look. "This is why you were to wait in the living room," she says lowly.

Carter rolls his eyes and steps towards Chuck, "Look, regardless of her motivations the facts are the same—"

"I _know _I said I wasn't interested in—"

"Oh for the— you know, what?! Neither am I!?" He snaps; before turning to Serena, expression frustrated, "I'll find another way to help you fix this, but I'm done here!" He growls as he slides past her and towards the doorway.

"Carter!" She grabs his arm and he shrugs her off.

"He's trying to _help _me, Chuck!" She shouts, turning back to her brother.

"He's helped you enough!"

"It's not _like _that!" She shakes her head, face twisted in a mix of anger and grief, "And you _know _it! You're just—"

"You _lied _to us, to Nate!"

"Because you wouldn't understand! You've never liked Carter! None of you have!"

"Maybe we have good reason not to!"

"And maybe I have good reason to!"

"Where are you going!?" Chuck shouts the question, stepping towards her as Serena rushes to the doorway. There's a touch of alarm in his voice, around his eyes as he watches her.

"To give him the car keys, Chuck," she spits at him over her shoulder, "Or did you really think you'd managed to _kick me out!?" _

She's gone then and he's scowling at the doorway, "As if I'd be that lucky!" He shouts after her and then promptly sends a lamp crashing to the floor with a sweep of his hand. He's breathing hard and muttering _fuck _as he runs that same hand through his hair.

Nate and Blair and Chuck stare at his older equivalent with wide eyes; Serena moves past them without a word.

Nate blinks, "Where're you—"

"Do you really need to ask?" His best friend tells his friend as Blair moves off after the blonde… or blonde_s, _as the case is. Nate blinks at him and Chuck shakes his head, grabs his arm and they follow the girls.

Following the older Serena through house leads them to the living room they'd first found, past the closet where they'd first appeared, and into a foyer they hadn't seen. She leaves the door open and all four of them follow her outside, descending the steps and meeting on the sidewalk.

The night sky is full of stars now, twinkling gently above, and the dim sounds of music and chattering can be heard coming from the back of the house.

Carter's slumped in the driver's side of light blue jaguar, door open, feet planted on the ground and looking up at the house.

He straightens when he sees Serena. "Took you long enough," he mutters, "You're holding up my dramatic exit—I was gonna burn rubber, make the tires squeal." He waggles his eyebrows at her as she approaches.

"Don't be _cute _with me," Serena snaps, "That, in there, could have gone a helluva lot better if you'd stayed where I told you to. Or at the very least kept silent."

"Coulda gone a helluva lot worse too."

She shakes her head, comes to a stop directly in front of him. He holds out his hands, she drops the keys she'd plucked from her pocket into his palm. "I'm not going with you."

"I didn't expect you too."

"I'm not happy with you, you purposefully goaded—"

"You think there was ever a chance he and I would work together? Really?"

Serena sighs, moves to lean back against the car; turns her head to look down at him, her long braid slides over one shoulder and she looks beautiful there, standing under the moonlight. "I _still _think there's a chance Chuck'll reconsider," she says carefully, "Especially when he sees the _actual _proposal and the investors we lined up—"

"What Chuck?" Carter cuts in voice hinting at teasing despite the seriousness in his eyes, "Not the one in there; because that one—"

"No, not that Chuck," Serena cut in, quirking her lips a little, "The one in there probably felt a little ambushed—since you were just _there _without giving me a chance to prep him."

"Ah," he responds noncommittally as he reaches out and takes her hand in his.

She lets him; smiles a little, "Would you still do it, if I got him to agree?"

"If the terms were agreeable," he concedes.

She rolls her eyes. "Well you can't stay here… go register at the Inn and I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I love it when you give the orders," he teases.

And she laughs a little, lightly, and scrunches up her nose at him. "I mean it… don't drive into the city or anywhere else. Just go to bed and sleep. It's been a long day…"

He nods. "And what will you be doing tonight?"

"Mingling," she said on sigh, "And then trying to smooth things over with Blair, talking to Gracie… coloring with Sunny…" she shrugs, "I'll leave Chuck and Liam for tomorrow—neither are too happy with me."

"Nor is the tinier C. Bass."

She frowns. "Right…" She quiet for a moment and then continues, "He probably saw a paper or something…Blair told me she kept them away from the younger kids… but Cash is… too much like her… and Chuck…together."

They're quiet for a moment and then he says dryly, "Sounds like a lovely little hybrid,"

She smirks.

"And lots of work," he finishes more sincerely.

She shrugs a little, doesn't respond; tilts her head back to study the stars.

He squeezes her hand, drawing her attention back to him. "Serena…" he begins, gaze on her face, but the words trail off.

"It's my fault, Carter," she tells him honestly, simply, "I handled it badly… fell into my old ways. I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself."

Seconds slip by after her statement, slow and oddly restful; they watch as she tilts her back towards the stars and he keeps his eyes on her profile.

And then he says wryly, "I was just going suggest a bribe… sport cars always worked for me."

And she laughs again, a little brighter this time, dropping her gaze to his face, "Ah yes, bribing my child and nephew into liking me… why didn't I think of that…"

"Not devious enough, my dear."

The smile leaves her face abruptly. "I'm devious enough," she answers and Carter is silent.

There's truth to those words then, they realize. They're still standing at the base of the steps, facing the quiet couple, eyes and ears fixated on the outpouring of sentences and gestures that are revealing a world to them.

"Thanks for coming…" Serena says then, "For trying to…help."

He stands out of the car at those words, still holding her hand, meets her blue eyes with his. "It'll work out," he says gently, lifts his other hand to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "You'll see. He doesn't really want a divorce."

Her breath is a laugh awash in sadness, "Says ex-husband number two."

Carter shakes his head and there's a surprising amount of tenderness in his gaze as he responds, "You and I are different. We always had a shelf-life of sorts… you know that."

"Do I?"

He nods at her, touches her cheek sweetly with his knuckles, "Almost, but not quite a match."

Her lips tilt upwards a little, but it's too weary to be a smile. She leans forward and he slips his arms around her in a hug, "When you say things like that," she whispers, "You make me think you could've been a poet."

"Or working for Hallmark."

She giggles softly, closing her eyes.

"It'll be okay soon, Serena." He comforts.

They might have stayed that way for a moment more or a minute more, but a dog barked then. Loud and nearby and they jumped apart, startled, heads turning in that direction.

Serena pales so quickly, it looked as if she were going to sway.

The four of them turn to look too, see immediately why Serena had lost all color.

"Oh no," Blair whispers, taking hold of her Serena's hand again; noting that the girl doesn't look much better than the older Serena, pale and wide-eyed.

"Shit," Nate mutters and Chuck nods his agreement with the sentiment; this was looking bad.

He was down the street, close enough to see, but not to hear and that was damning right there. He'd just parked and there was a little girl with him wrangling with the leash of a large dog—who was still barking.

"Okay," Carter murmurs, dropping both of his arms to his sides and looking between Serena and her husband, "Well, maybe not _soon _exactly…_" _he amends.

Beside him, Serena doesn't respond, her gaze is locked with Nate's.

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**Author's Note**: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I am sorry for the delay! Answers will be coming in the next chapter, really! (Because YoungBlair is a bit frustrated. ;)) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! :)

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	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

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"Nate."

They watch as Serena steps away from Carter, the name soft on her lips. And how, across from her, Nate does not move, does not speak.

The dog continues to bark.

"Dad, it's the food— he smells it…" the girl says, tugging on the leash and looking up at her father. They can't see her face clearly, Nate's either, in the dimness of the night, but they can see that Nate pulls his gaze from Serena and glances down at her.

"That must be Annie," Blair whispers.

Beside her, her Serena doesn't speak; and beside Chuck, Nate doesn't either.

"Take him inside," the older Nate says; his voice is lower, less smooth than it is as a youth. Though they can't tell if this is a development of age or current circumstance.

The girl nods and pulls the large dog up the street. She's wearing a skirt, they see then as she approaches the lights of the house. It's long and a dull blue color, her top is beige and sleeveless, and her hair a dark brown that's pulled back from her face.

The dog is huge, almost half her height, and he's straining against the leash, intent on running around to the back of the house.

"Hi S," Annie says casually as she walks past the older woman and towards the steps, "Stranger," she acknowledges as she eyes Carter curiously.

"Kid," Carter returns the acknowledgement .

The dog takes an abrupt turn then and lunges towards Serena, dragging the girl with him.

"Hi Annie," Serena whispers, eyes drifting from Nate to the young girl; the dog is lumbering towards her, despite the pull Annie exerts on his leash.

Serena takes a step towards the pair and then bends down a little, "Hey Moonie," she whispers, rubbing the dog's head, smoothing his ears.

"He's excited," Annie says, yanking back on his leash with both hands and dragging him up the steps.

Serena nods at her and then watches as the girl pulls him towards the front door and disappears inside.

The expression on her face is achingly desolate as she shifts her gaze back to Nate.

He's watching her.

"Nate," she says again, voice still soft. She lifts one hand a little to motion weakly towards Carter, "This isn't…" but her voice is weary, hopeless; she doesn't expect he'll believe her. She finishes anyway, "It isn't what it… what you're thinking…"

And he steps towards her then; moves out of the shadows so they can see him more clearly.

He's wearing a blue polo shirt, jeans, and running sneakers; and he looks so absolutely normal it's a touch heartbreaking.

His blue eyes are hard, face tight, even though his expression is completely blank. "I'm sure it's not," he says, his gaze fixed on her face unflinchingly; "You're good about waiting for the ink to dry on divorce papers."

Serena flinches and her younger version gasps. Blair's grip tightens her, but she knows nothing she does is going to protect Serena from this.

The space around them is completely silent for a beat and then Carter sighs dramatically, "Well, on that note…" he says loudly, sending Nate a loaded look.

"Carter," Serena whispers, a warning in her voice.

"I was just taking my leave…"

"Don't leave on my account," Nate states; and the sarcasm in the words is heavy and touched with anger, but it's the veneer of civility that really has bite.

Carter smirks. "Believe me," he says lightly, "Despite how _delightful _this evening has been, I won't shed a tear to see it end." He slips back inside the car.

Serena moves out his way so he can shut the door and he smiles at her; that trouble instigating smile she's come to know too well, "Talk to you tomorrow, baby," he says as he turns the ignition on and the car roars to life.

A moment later, he's moving down the street and poking his head out of the window to look at Nate, "Always a pleasure, Nate," he adds with a one hand wave.

"Ass," Chuck mutters, glaring at the car as it disappears around the block.

No one responds, because just then, the older Serena takes a step forward. "Nate," She says carefully.

He shakes his head, tears his gaze away from her and moves towards the front steps. "Don't bother. I'm here to check on Sunny and that's it," he says, voice without inflection now, "Wasn't even expecting you to be here."

"Sunny? Why would you need to check on—" she stops, bites her lip like she's realizing how that might sound. He was the boy's father after all, and not used to being away from him. "He's fine." She finishes after a moment.

"Fine?" Nate repeats, surprise rippling over his voice; expression shifting into an expression of caution, "With a 102 fever and a cough that could be bronchitis?"

Serena's eyebrows shoot to her hairline, "What?!" She asks, surprise raising her voice.

"Gracie called this morning to—"

Serena blows out a breath and cuts him off, frustration in her voice, "Oh for the love of—" she shakes her head, "It's not true," she finishes.

It's Nate now, whose eyebrows rise, "What?"

Serena shakes her head, "It's not true. Sunny's fine. Gracie was just— she's mad at me I guess. Blair says she thought I was bringing back… a new boyfriend or something, so I guess she wanted you to—"

"And didn't you?" He asks, cutting her off.

She doesn't flinch this time, holds steady under that blue gaze, "No."

He stares at her, that dark blue gaze roving over her face, completely silent and still and serious in a way that _Nate_ should never be.

It sends a shiver down their spines, all four of them; because the two people they're watching are un-recognizable somehow, have shared things and behaved in ways they can't imagine.

"I'm going to check on him anyway," Nate says, voice steady, low, "And then I'll leave."

She waits till he's turned away from her, until she could only see his profile, though they can see his face, "Because I'm here?" She asks.

It's flash, a fissure in the stony expression, but the sorrow is enough to almost make them look away—almost.

"Yes." He answers unequivocally.

And then moves towards the steps, Serena stays on the sidewalk, gaze on cement now. He's climbed the first two when she speaks once more, voice soft, timid, "You really believe I would do that?" She asks him.

And he stills, closes his eyes. "I'm not going to have this conversation."

Serena looks up then, fastens her gaze on his shoulders, and then shifts her body so her own back is to the street. "I know you're not a fan of the difficult conversation; but you can't just divorce me without one, Nate."

The anger that flickers across Nate's features before he turns back around to Serena has Blair's grip on her Serena tightening, "Honey…" she whispers, "Maybe we should—" but the girl, shushes her without taking her gaze off the scene unfolding before them.

"I considered the second wave of tabloids our difficult conversation," Nate says steadily.

"Right— because tabloids never lie," Serena snaps, anger in her voice now, "You believe I'd do that?" She says again, "To you? That I'd…" she has trouble saying it, but does, "Cheat on you…?"

"You make it hard to not believe it, Serena," he tells her and there's a touch of despair in his voice despite the steadiness, "I could chock the first media frenzy to misrepresented photos, but the second… and then you run off with him? Again, might I add-- like your week-long disappearance the first time wasn't enough. What am I supposed to belie—"

"No, no!" Serena cuts him off, eyes flashing, moving towards him them, "Don't you blame everything on me. I screwed up in May, that first time, I did. But then _you _left _me_! You took one look at those pictures and didn't even let me explain! You went straight to Vanessa!"

"Explain what?!" He shouts now, the mask falling away to reveal the hurt and betrayal, "You sent me and the kids away so you could run off with him! The tabloids didn't make that part up, Serena!" He continues stepping down towards her, "That's not something I _read _or _believe! _That's something I know!"

"I just said I screwed up in May!"

"And don't compare Carter to Vanessa!" He continues, "That's completely different!"

"You ran from me! Went to _her _instead of talking to me!"

"I have a _child _with her! It's kind of a _link, _Serena! And don't talk to me about _running! _You went right back to Carter!" He snarls, "And there's no link there!"

"Yes there is! It's just not a child!"

The shouted words echo in the quiet of the front yard, whirl around them, taunting, damning, as they stare at each other, both a little out of breath, both a little broken.

"See," he says, voice low now, raw almost, "You make it hard not to believe it."

She swallows hard, blinks quickly, "We're friends," she says carefully, "Just friends, Nate…like you and Vanessa… like you and Blair."

He scoffs, disbelieving. "Are you kidding? You want to compare?"

"Why not? Why shouldn't I be friends him? If you've got—"

"A _kid _with Vanessa!" Nate snaps, "Like I just said!"

"And with Blair?"

"What?"

"You were in a relationship with her for like eleven years…"

"As _kids, _Serena."

"First love."

He gapes at her.

"The only thing I did wrong with Carter was go to him without telling you," she says very slowly, very steadily, as she takes a step towards him.

He shakes his head, "It's not that simple, Serena. You didn't just not tell me; you _hid _it, went out of your way… and those pictures… they weren't retouched…"

Her breath hitches, hands coming out to her sides, her expression shifting into something like a plea, "Nate," she starts, "You have to understand, it was—"

She doesn't finish the explanation.

There's sudden and loud shrieking coming from the party; along with cries of _my god _and _stop him_ and oddly enough, a shout of laughter. The music comes to a notable halt as familiar barking takes over and there's the distinct sound of metal crashing against metal as more shrieking takes place.

And the glance of alarm the older Nate and Serena exchange is completely devoid of hostility or misery, completely genuine.

And then they're running up the steps and into house, their conversation set aside for now. The four of them to leap back away from each other to avoid being walked through; they all exchange their own looks of alarm, before running up the steps as well.

"This is crazy," Blair complains as they rush through the foyer and into the living room, "All of it!"

"It's _terrible," _Serena corrects, her voice tight, "Everything is _terrible." _

"Serena," Nate tries as they walk through the bookroom and into the game-room, "Maybe it's not as bad as—"

"We're getting divorced!" She shouts at him as they spill out through the already open glass doors and onto the patio, "How much worse could it—"

"Oh my _god," _Blair spits, eyes going round in her face as they come to a stop on the lawn.

Two of the tables under the main tent have been overturned; chairs lie askew where people had toppled them in their rush to stand. Waiters are kneeling beside dropped champaign flutes and scattered silverware, the center of the dance floor has been cleared, people standing around the edges; because at its center is standing a large, somewhat shaggy, brown and white dog. He's got a light brown coat all over except for one white paw and one white ear; and he's panting, tongue lolling out in what looks like a grin, as he turns all around staring at people.

People who are standing around and gaping in horror at the untrained and large dog now in their midst; Nate and Serena had crossed the lawn and were standing beside Blair and Chuck now. Both of whom were sparing Nate quick, surprised glances despite the disorder unfolding before them.

Annie makes a squeaky sound then and tries to grab for her dog's leash, but the pup runs, dodging her grasp. Harm intercepts on the other side him, but the dog bounds past him, Gracie snags his collar, but he pulls out of her hold.

"He thinks we're playing a game!" Annie cries, and there's a thread of laughter in her voice despite the panic.

"Get that dog _out _here!" Blair shrieks, she's standing on the dance floor, her back to the musicians as she faces the unfolding mayhem.

"We're trying, Mom!" Harm yells as he makes another swipe at the dog. But the dog has built up too much momentum and the kids can't keep a hold on him.

"The kids won't be able to catch him," Nate whispers to the girls, "He's going too fast and he's too big."

"It's a menace." Blair whispers back heatedly, eyeing the dog with distaste.

"Moonie! Come here!" Annie yells running after him as the dog switches directions and lunges out of the tent.

"Moonie!!" Sunny cries delightedly, his laughter bright again as he hops up and down just outside the enclosure. The other children have stopped their games as well and are focusing on the dog; the possibilities of entertainment, of games, running through their minds at a fevered pace.

A fact that does not go unnoticed by their parents; the older guests are frowning now, looking concerned and exchanging hushed words, leaving the edges of the floor and moving back towards it's center.

Moonie leaps onto Sunny and the little boy giggles, stumbling back; would have fallen if Cash hadn't been right behind him.

"What _is _that thing!?" Cash yells as the dog barrels past him and starts running circles on the lawn.

"_He's _my dog!" Annie yells back, gaze shooting daggers at Cash; her dark hair is slipping from its pony-tale and curls are framing her face.

"Chuck!" The older Blair spits as she rushes to the edge of the tent, "Stop it!" She cries, pointing at the dog.

"Grab the dog!" A boy cries and suddenly all the children are surrounding Moonie and lunging for his collar or leash.

Chuck sends Blair a sardonic look. "Certainly," he says wryly; and then turns to Nate standing a few steps away, "Nice of you join us Nathaniel. Please see about your child's… animal, will you?"

Nate rolls his eyes and moves towards the children as he says, "He's her pet, Chuck."

"It's a menace, Nate!" Blair snaps in a perfect echo of her younger self. "Get it _under control." _

Nate sends her an exasperated look as he moves after the dog.

"DADDY!!" Sunny's shout distracts Nate and shifts direction, bending down and scooping the little boy up into his arms as the boy leaps towards him.

Nate smiles as the little arms go around his neck. "Hey buddy…" he says, and when Sunny pulls back an instant later he winks at him, "Let's catch a dog, huh?"

Sunny nods enthusiastically as a women asks, "Is it dangerous?" in a loud and shrill voice.

Nate makes a face at the little boy and set him down; Sunny laughs again and takes off towards Moonie and the kids. Nate moves after him at a slower pace, smiling affectionately.

"My boy has allergies!" Another woman shouts, "Matthew, baby, come here!"

"Does it bite!?" A man wonders, a little warily.

And Blair turns a little then, pulling her gaze from where she'd been watching Nate and Sunny, to send him, everyone else, an appeasing look from across the dance floor; with a gaze that's only a tad frayed at the edges she soothes, "Oh no, no! It's quite a… friendly… creature…"

"It's chasing my boy!"

"That woman needs to calm down," Serena says, frowning; just as her older counterpart moves towards the woman and says softly, "Please calm down, Em, the dog is harmless."

"Oh, enough!" Blair hisses and stalks off the platform across the lawn.

"Not a good idea, Blair," Chuck calls after her, even as he moves to follow.

The children had worked Moonie up into a whirl of panting and running; they're all laughing and someone is throwing the Frisbee around again.

"It looks fun," Nate comments quietly as the four of them move towards the children and dog. The kids are all grinning; even those not near the dog or playing with the Frisbee, just running with the others and laughing at the sight.

"Who names a dog _Moonie?" _Blair wonders wincingly.

"Nate!" The older Blair snaps as she walks faster, "I told you—"

"They're having fun," he cuts her off, shrugging a little.

"Stop _it." _She snaps, pointing at the dog.

"Moonie's a _he_," Nate tells her as he rolls his eyes and half-heartedly reaches for the dog. Moonie's following the Frisbee the kids are tossing back and forth over his head with erratic accuracy and brightly glowing eyes.

"Uncle Nate!" Harm shouts, "Hi!"

Nate grins at the boy, straightening and waving, and around him the rest of kids shout greetings.

"Who names a dog, _Moonie?" _Blair counters above the din of the children.

Annie stops running and looks at Blair with a grin, breathless, "It's short for Moonbeam," she informs her and then takes off again.

The kids are running to more open lawn now, farther away from the party area, the Frisbee flying a greater distance between each toss. Nate's running after them and Blair scowls before stalking behind him.

"Blair," Chuck says her name as he follows her, "Let Nathaniel wrangle the dog."

"He'll end up _playing _with them." She exclaims in exasperation. Chuck seems to consider this for a moment and then sighs, moving to follow her.

"This is night is a disaster," Blair whispers quietly, her hand slipping into Chuck's as they follow as well. They're moving slower, the four of them, the things they've seen weighing them down.

"This _life _is a disaster," Serena mumbles brokenly. Her gaze is fixed on the ground as they walk and no one says a word, because there's nothing to contradict her with.

Thus far, her life, seems like a disaster.

"Well, luckily, it isn't _real," _Chuck reminds them all, "We need to stop watching this slideshow and—"

"You're right!" Blair agrees ardently, nodding and pulling out of his hold as she turns around so she's ahead of them walking backwards. Her gaze scans their faces, "It's not real and we need to get— back or awake or whatever it is. Let's turn this projector _off." _She concludes with a decisive nod.

She turns back around, her pace quicker now, "We'll get Sunny and have him show the drawing to—"

The splash cuts her off, the shriek makes her freeze for a moment, but the fact that it was _her _that had shrieked had them all running towards the pool.

They come to a screeching halt when they come into view of it. The dog, Moonie, is _in _it.

"I'm wet!" Blair cries, concerned, just as the older Blair shouts, "_I'm wet!" _with considerable more hysteria.

Sunny giggles, his hair is sticking to his head and his face is dripping with water. He's at the edge of the pool peering into it with undisguised joy as the dog moves around.

"Oh my god," Nate whispers, while the older Nate is grinning. He's wet too, but doesn't look nearly as upset about it as Blair.

The dog is paddling around, the Frisbee floating innocuously on the surface and the kids standing around, grinning too.

Harm, Annie, and another boy, standing closer to the pool, are wet as well. While Cash, Gracie, another young girl, and two boys stand a bit farther back, dry, and watching with unabashed glee.

"It's just water," the older Nate says carefully, approaching Blair as he runs a hand through his hair, "Take a step back from the edge for me, Sun."

Sunny nods, and does as he's told, while mimics, "Yeah, just water!"

"It's _chlorinated_ water!" Blair shouts at Nate. Her hair is dripping and the blouse is clinging to her. "My _hair _is wet! My _shoes!_"

Chuck's standing a pace away from her. And Nate shoots him a look before motioning towards the pool. "That thing should be closed."

"Or your dog should be leashed and muzzled."

"Help me get him out."

Chuck doesn't even hesitate. "No."

"Chuck—"

"No means no, Nathaniel." He says as he carefully approaches Blair. He's removing his jacket and draping it over her shoulders when he adds, "Cash, help your uncle."

And Cash laughs, completely amused, "No sir, time is up!" He informs him delightedly and then promptly turns around strolls back to the house.

He walks right past the four of them and for a moment all their gazes follow him. And then the older Blair speaks.

"What time?" She asks Chuck, adjusting his jacket around her.

"Nothing."

She sighs, frustrated, "You made a deal." She concludes. Chuck smirks at her, arcs an eyebrow, but doesn't respond.

"I'll help you , Uncle Nate," Harm says, moving towards him, "I'm already wet."

"Me too," Annie agrees, stepping closer to the edge of the pool.

"Yeah," Gracie adds quickly, shooting Annie a look, "Me too."

Annie smiles faintly as she kneels down and touches the water, "You're not wet."

Gracie stares at her. "I didn't say I _was." _She retorts.

Annie shrugs noncommittally and turns her attention to her dog, "Come 'ere, Moonie…" she calls him, splashing a little water, "Come here, boy…"

"Why did you bring a _dog _to my house in the first place?!" Blair shouts suddenly, "What are you even doing here!?"

"You're really rolling out the welcome mat there, Blair," Nate teases and then levels a look on Chuck, "You're going to let the _kids _help me…"

"I'll help too!" The boy beside Harm says eagerly, "I'm wet."

"You will _not _help, Matthew!" Blair snaps, "Go to your mother!" And then she elbows Chuck, "Help him."

"Where's Liam?"

"He went for a walk," Gracie informs them, "Like twenty minutes ago."

Nate sends a pointed look at Chuck and waves a hand towards the pool. And receives a dark glare in return, but Chuck moves towards the pool.

"Oh my," someone says.

And everyone in the area shifts to look over. A small group of the guests, the most daring surely, have wandered over and are now studying the scene with varying degrees of astonishment and distress.

"Nothing to worry about!" Blair calls out, pulling up a rather wan smile, "Just some… excitement…" she presses on, "For the children…"

"Exactly as I told you all!" Serena jumps in, appearing behind the group, "Just some fun, you all know how kids can be!" She turns towards the kids, most of who are in her family and scans their faces quickly, "Aren't you all having fun!? Isn't Moonie just wonderful?!"

"Yes! Mommy, Yes!" Sunny cries loudest of all, but the other kids agree, nodding and smiling.

"Right," Serena agrees, glad to have established that as she turns back to the adults, "Let's get back to the music then, shall we? Because Em, that skirt was _made _for a dance… and oh, Donald, you _must _dance with me!" She continues, chirping niceties as she guides the small group away.

And all the while, Chuck and Nate have been fishing Moonie out of the pool, they notice then.

"I cannot believe you made me _do_ that," Chuck gripes quietly at Nate, sending him a dirty look as the older Chuck and Nate haul the dog out of the water to much applause from the kids.

"I didn't _make _you," Nate contradicts, "The little kids were gonna do it!"

Moonie barks and Annie drops in front of him to rub his floppy ears.

"You shouldn't have brought a dog with you to a party," Blair reprimands him softly.

And Serena looks around at the three of them askance, "Guys." She says, but there's a touch of a smile on her lips, a breath of relief in her voice; because she needs this, to be reminded of the present, of how things are _now; _needs the lightheartedness to counter the intensity.

Blair shrugs at her, "Well, it's true," she says unrepentantly, sending Nate a warning look, as if to say, _if this really is our future, don't do it next time around._

"Alright, guys!" Nate calls standing, keeping a firm grip on Moonie's leash, "Show's over… get back to your parents…"

Grumbling greets this announcement.

"Aw! Can't we play with the dog some more!"

"Yeah! Please!"

"We'll be more careful!"

"Let's stick to soccer, shall we?" Chuck responds, standing as well, "And I believe dessert will be served soon…" he adds enticingly.

The kids hesitate. Harm sighs softly and then starts back towards the tents. Following his lead, the other kids do the same.

"Go on with Harm and Gracie and Annie, Sunny," Blair instructs.

"Oh okay!" He agrees brightly, "You're all wet Auntie B and you too Dad! And you Uncle Chuck and you Harm and me and—"

"Yeah, Sunny, we get it," Gracie cuts in, taking his head.

He giggles, "_You're _not wet."

"I'm _careful." _

Harm pauses beside Annie, "You coming?"

She nods, "Dad… leash?"

"No, I'm gonna put him in the pool house for now."

"Excuse me!" Blair shrieks.

Nate sends her a smile, "I could put him in the house…"

"You could—" she looks truly horrified at the thought.

"Pool house is fine, Nathaniel." Chuck points out.

"Okay," Annie agrees, pats Moonie on the head. He's calmer now and licks her hand as she moves past.

"Oh gross," Gracie mutters.

Annie rolls her eyes.

"What's gross?" Sunny asks as they all move away.

"I can't believe you brought that beast here during a party, Nate." Blair continues.

"He's not a beast. He's a Boxer and St. Bernard mix puppy Vanessa got for Annie about ten months ago," Nate corrects as Moonie sits on his foot. "And I had no idea you were having a party," he finishes.

"Or that my dear sister had returned from abroad either, I presume…" Chuck states, eyes intent on his friends face.

Nate's entire expression goes hard at the words. "No. Not that either."

The night is quiet for a moment; the music is being played again, but conversation hasn't picked up enough to create a din of sound over it yet. The distant sound of crickets hums in the background, along with Moonie's occasional pant.

Blair sighs, shivers in the cool night air, "Okay… I need to… change…" she says, pulling Chuck's jacket closer around herself.

Chuck moves towards her; nodding. "Yes. As do I."

Nate blinks at them; and then his lips quirk in vague amusement, "You do?"

"My sleeves are wet," Chuck points out.

And Nate looks down at himself. The entire front of his shirt and pants, along with his sleeves and _hair _are wet. When he looks up the quirk has turned into a smile, "How hard for you… by all means, go change."

Chuck smirks at him.

Blair nods, very primly, and turns towards the house. "Put the creature away safely and then…" she pauses as Chuck moves in beside her, lets him take her arm, before looking over shoulder at Nate, "And then help Serena host, will you? Assuage some of the gossip, please…"

They see Nate tense, but the older Chuck and Blair don't. The two of them are moving as one towards the house and they don't look back; don't see Nate look out over the pool with an expression as bleak as Serena's had been desolate and they don't see the way he slowly modulates it into one of unreadable blankness.

"God," Serena whispers, looking away from the older Nate, eyes filling with tears, "Nate…" she whispers to hers, shifts her gaze to meet his, "I'm so sorry…"

He shakes his head and takes a step towards her, "You haven't done anything, S. We don't know what's going on here and—"

"I don't want to know what's going on here," Serena says suddenly, fiercely, "I want to get out of here. I want to—to close my eyes and have this all _vanish _the way it appeared. I _hate _this and—and—"

"So let's put an end to it." Blair says firmly with a decisive nod.

And then she's leading them back to the party, leaving the older Nate truly alone to do his brooding.

The party seems to be fully in swing once more with the help of some music, Serena's smile, and copious amounts of champaign.

The kids are playing a somewhat lackluster game of soccer; or sitting at tables with their parents now. And they notice that there are few absent faces among them, Matthew for one, and his mother, as well as the little who'd stood with Cash and Gracie.

Gracie is out on the dance floor, with Harm. He's twirling her around and she's grinning, her hair flying around her in a cascade of glossy waves. The adults around them smiling indulgently.

"Oh how sweet," Serena murmurs, trying to point it out to Blair; but the brunette is on a mission; her gaze barely skims the dance floor before she zeroes on a golden blonde head sitting on the ground.

Annie's sitting with him, cross-legged, and speaking in a hushed, suspenseful tone, "… and the giant's hand came down towards them, closer and closer, until it blocked the rays of the sun…"

"Oh no!" Sunny gasped, blue eyes wide and fastened on her face.

"Jess and Leslie scrambled to hide, to find shelter somewhere where the giant couldn't—"

"Sunny we need you to come with us," Blair spoke over Annie's story telling.

"Oh!" Sunny cried, hopping to his feet, "This is Annie!" He told them happily and the young girl promptly closed her mouth and turned around to look for the newcomer—and saw no one.

"We know," Chuck tells him, "Shhh, remember."

"I'm not talking about you."

"Sunny," Annie says very slowly, "What are you doing?"

The boy looks to her and bites his lip.

"Tell her you're playing a game," Nate says.

"Oh no, N, I wouldn't play a game while Annie's telling a story." Sunny says gravely.

"Sunny." Annie says his name again, alarm in her voice. She reaches out and takes his hand, pulling him towards where she's sitting. "What're you doing?" She asks again.

But Sunny's gaze are on the four of them, not his sister.

"We're going to get the kid put on medication," Serena mutters.

Chuck shrugs one shoulder, "Can't be helped."

"Come with us," Blair tells him again, "We need you to help us now. We need to find your Auntie B."

"Oh! Right!" He nods and pulls out of Annie's grasp. "I have to go Annie. Later, tell me, the story, okay?"

"Go!?" She's looking up at him from her sitting position with flat-out concern now, "Go where?"

"Inside," Nate answers for Sunny.

"Inside," Sunny parrots perfectly, sending Nate a quick grin.

"Inside for what?"

"To get something for your Mommy," Chuck says.

Sunny tilts his head to one side, gaze going to Chuck, "But I'm not supposed to lie."

Chuck rolls his eyes, "Wonderful… tell her to get something, then."

"To get something," He says dutifully.

But he's already succeeded in upsetting Annie. She moving to stand up when Blair huffs and says, "Tell her you're a big boy and can do this yourself."

"OH!" Sunny looks quite happy suddenly, "I'm a big boy, Annie, I can do this myself." He says with pride.

And then he's off through the tent towards the house with the four of them falling closely behind. They're approaching the patio when a voice stops them.

"So what does N look like, kiddo?"

"Uncle Eric!" Sunny lights up and whirls around to launch himself towards his Uncle, "You're here!"

And the four of them gape at Eric Van der Woodsen, all grown up. Dark, brown hair cut short, clean shaven, and easily over six feet tall, he's wearing tan shorts and a silver polo shirt and tossing Sunny high up in the air.

"It's Eric!" Serena says unnecessarily and can't keep the smile from creeping across her face at the sight of him.

"He's wearing shorts," Blair notes wryly.

The little boy giggles as Eric settles him against his chest. "Well?" He asks.

"Daddy is here and Mommy and we're going to watch the stars later." Sunny informs his Uncle.

Eric nods, "Sounds like a good plan. And N? Your friend, right? What does he look like?"

"Oh… like Daddy, I guess… but different."

"Different…?"

"Yes..." Sunny nods and then his eyes widen, "Oh down! Down!" He cries and wiggles to be set on the ground, "I'm helping him…"

"Ah, I see." Eric says, nodding as he bends to set the boy down, "Later, we're going to talk about your new friends, okay? Maybe tomorrow… you and me and Greg, does that sound good?"

"Where _is _Uncle Greg?" Sunny wonders.

Eric smiles at him. "He's coming."

"Okay, I'll tell you about them later!" Sunny agrees and continues into the house. Eric's eyes follow him all the way inside.

"Where would your Auntie B go to change her dress?"Serena wonders once they're in the game-room.

Sunny giggles, "To her room!" He says and then he's running through the house; towards the staircase they assume.

"There should be a no running rule in this house," Blair says as they rush after the little boy.

"Oh, there is!" He calls back to her laughingly, but doesn't slow down a single step as they run through the living room.

"Oh wonderful," Blair says, rolling her eyes as the reach the staircase and begin ascending.

Sunny leads them down a hallway, where they find an additional three steps up that lead to a closed door.

"This is Auntie B's room…"

"Okay, go in and show her the picture," Blair says, motioning towards the door.

"Maybe later," Sunny says sweetly, looking from the door to Blair.

Blair frowns, "No, Sunny, not later, now."

"Blair," Serena says quietly, a soft warning that she can't loose her patience with this small boy.

And Blair huffs a little.

"Sunny, you want to help us don't you?" Serena asks him gently.

"Yes!" Sunny nods. His hair was dry now and curling a little at the edges, his bright blue fixed on Serena's face, "I like to help."

"Then go on in there and show Auntie B the picture," Nate encourages, smiling wide.

Sunny's smile dims, "But I can't—"

"Yes, you can." Blair says, "We'll come with you, we'll tell you what to say…"

Chuck reaches for the doorknob and tries to open the door himself. "It's locked," he says.

"Locked?" Nate echoes.

"Yes, Nathaniel."

"Sunny—"

"It's not," Sunny says and reaches for the doorknob himself.

"Good, then go on in and—"

Sunny twists the knob, without pushing the door open and looks up at Chuck, "See," he says, but his little brows are drawn together as he continues, "But I'm not supposed to—"

Blair's reaching over his head before he finishes and pushing the door open; and a moment later they're all tumbling through it.

For an instant, a breath in time, the entire scene is frozen. The entire room, the master suite certainly, is decorated in shades of mahogany and deep violet; an enormous bed dominating one side of it, the other balanced by armoires and sofas and armchairs.

But it's the couple residing in that armchair that commands their attention.

Chuck's sitting at the edge of it with Blair on his lap, his shirt gone and the jacket he'd lent her tossed on the floor. Her legs are wrapped around his waist, his arms enfolding her; she's in nothing but her lingerie, the dress discarded near the jacket, and her head is thrown back, eyes closed, as Chuck's mouth makes its way up from her collar bone towards her mouth in a trail of warm kisses.

"Whoa…" Nate mutters as the older Blair gasps, her gaze flying open at the sound of the opening door. She wrenches herself around to face it, nearly toppling off of Chuck's lap.

"Sunny!" She shouts, panicked; trying to scramble off Chuck's lap without falling to the floor. Chuck's hold on her loosens, but it doesn't disappear, as he mutters, "Crap," and then adds loudly, "Hallway, Sun!"

And Sunny makes a squeaky sound and walks right through Blair, Nate, and Chuck as he rushes to do as he's told; they move too, as quickly as he does, and a moment later the little boy is shutting the door hard behind him and leaning back against it.

"We're not supposed to go in there when the door's closed!" He tells them a moment later, "It's a _rule!" _

And they stare at him; mouths still a little agape.

"My _eyes," _Serena moans suddenly, a hand coming up to her face, "I need brain bleach."

Nate laughs a little. Sunny pushes away from the door at that, looks at them intently, in the same way he'd been watching Annie as she told him a story.

Chuck smirks, eyes gleaming as he reaches for Blair.

She frowns, tosses her hair back as she evades his touch, "Don't give me that look, Chuck Bass."

The smirk widens and he reaches for her again, "Finally, something in this future I can get on board with…"

And Serena giggles then, because Chuck's pulling Blair towards him and she's given up the struggle; a smile touching her lips as she rolls her eyes a little and lets him wrap his arms around her waist, "You _would_ enjoy the corrupting of a youth most…" She teases.

The door opens then and the older Blair is standing there, freshly changed into a navy dress with white trimming, hair neatly pulled back away from her face and eyeing Sunny with a long-suffering expression. "Now Sunny," she says, "What's so important you broke a priority rule for?" She asks dryly.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you for all the wonderful comments and reviews. :D You really brighten my day with them. And a HUGE thanks to Red Blood Kiss of Death for bartering me into posting this chapter already. Thank you. :P There's still a lot of ground to cover, so please bear with me. :) The story is looking like it may go over 10 chapters after all.

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* * *

Sunny's eyes go wide, his head tilting back, as he turns around to face his Auntie B. Apparently this is a great offense—breaking a priority rule. The question hangs in the air for a moment; his big, blue eyes fastened on her face in surprise.

And then she sighs, the sternness melting away, "Did something bad happen outside?" She asks him more gently, extending her hand to him. The question is a subtle inquiry into the state of his parents, no doubt.

Sunny reaches out and takes her hand, saying, "Oh no," with easy charm, "People are dancing and Annie was telling me a story! It was about two lil' kids and a—"

"Then why are you not outside listening to her story, but in here breaking rules?" Blair questions softly as she pulls him into the bedroom.

Sunny shrugs expansively, looking up at her with a smile.

"I'm helping!"

They hear him tell her as they follow the two inside the room— Chuck holding Blair's hand and Nate motioning for Serena to walk ahead of him. She sends him a hesitant smile as she does and he returns it with more warmth than she thinks she deserves from him right now.

The room looks the same of course, though Chuck is nowhere to be seen at the moment. The lighting is brighter, an extra lamp has been turned on— but they look around with quick interest; a silent, mutual agreement to not allow any distractions.

"Show her the drawing you made, sweetie," Serena prods gently as they follow Sunny and his Auntie B to the far side of the room. The walls are painted the color of a deep blushing rose and landscape art adorns some of the walls.

The little boy startles a little, as if he'd forgotten they were even there, "Oh," he says brightly, turning back a little to nod at her, "Right! Auntie B will know."

"What will I know?" His aunt asks as she sits down on a love seat and crosses her ankles together demurely. Sunny stands in front of her, pulling the folded square of paper out of his pocket. "I have to show you the picture— that I drew!" He tells her.

Blair's brows come together a little, "The pict— ah yes," she murmurs, expression clearing as she nods, "The drawing… of the necklace, yes?"

Sunny nods, still unfolding the construction paper.

"Baby," Blair says gently, watching him, "These… invisible people… they're still here…?"

"Sure. They're lost, you know," he tells her.

"Lost… of course," she responds slowly, pulling him closer to her so his stomach is pressed against her leg. She keeps an arm around him, "Baby, we need—"

"Here," he says, shoving the drawing at her with his hands.

And she takes it with her free one, studies the picture with the curiosity— and then she stiffens.

They see it, the way her spine goes rigid.

"Sunny." She says his name differently, the softness tempered with gravity.

Sunny hears it too, his smile fading a little, "Yes?"

"You know you are not allowed in this room, in anyone's room, without permission. It's about privacy and respect, remember?"

"Oh, I know, Auntie B," he assures, nodding emphatically, "I know it's bad."

"Then—"

The sound of an opening door halts Blair's words. They all look up as well, towards the sound. Chuck is walking through a doorway they hadn't noticed, closing the door behind him. He's smiling a little and wearing what passes for Chuck's casual attire; slacks, button-down shirt, and vest. The vest, of course, matches the navy of Blair's dress; the rest is in shades of eggshell white and beige.

"Was there bloodshed or social ruin going on, Sunny?" He asks striding towards where the boy and his wife are perched.

Sunny bites his lip, looks chastised, "No, Sir."

Chuck nods, "You made a mistake then."

Sunny nods back, "Yes, I guess so…" he admits carefully, "But…!" He says suddenly, "They _made _me," he accuses, twisting away from his Auntie B and pointing directly towards Blair.

"Hey!" Blair shouts, "I did not ma—"

"Did too!" Sunny cuts in and the words could only be more petulant if he stuck his tongue out— which he did not.

Nate smothers a laugh and even Serena feels herself smiling a little. Chuck smirks.

Which is not the reaction that _Uncle_ Chuck has— at all. The man's gaze sharpens as it goes in the direction of Sunny's gesture and when he finds the space empty; his eyes meet Blair's over the little boy's head.

A beat passes and then she speaks, eyes on her husband, "Sunny has new friends. They are… invisible."

Chuck's eyebrows arc a little as he shifts his gaze back to the young boy, "_Invisible…_ new friends?" He asks.

Sunny nods. "Yes, and they're lost. And the necklace has to do with it. And I'm helping. And they want me to—" his gaze goes to Serena then, wide eyes fastening questioningly onto her face, "What do I ask?" He wonders sweetly.

Chuck sighs and cuts his gaze to Blair at his side. "He just doesn't get it," he says softly and the girl laughs a little; also softly, because Sunny's looking at them all waiting for an answer.

"Ask them if there's something special about that necklace," Serena says to him gently and she's smiling, because she can't not smile at him.

"If they know its history," Blair adds.

Sunny nods at them.

"Is there something special about it? Do you know its history?" He repeats carefully, looking up at his Uncle before shifting his gaze to his Auntie B. He leans close to her again and points at the drawing she's holding, "I did a good job, they said so. It looks just like this… with the little flowers inside…"

"Sunny…" His aunt says again very softly and they notice then that she's a touch paler than she was a moment ago, "Are you… lying? About coming into this room without permission?"

Sunny blinks at her, frowning a little, "No," he says simply and shakes his head. "There's nothing to _do_ in _here." _He explains further when his Aunt simply watches him.

"She recognizes it," Serena says very quietly.

"Blair?" Chuck says his wife's name lowly, concerned, as he moves closer to the pair on the sofa and Blair extends the drawing to Chuck without taking her eyes off of Sunny.

"Your… lost friends… they showed this to you?" She asks him carefully.

Sunny nods, "Yes! They have it! And—and it has something to do with—with why they're lost and I'm going to help them! Because—because I'm a good helper!" Sunny explains again, his voice getting brighter with each word so that by the end of his sentences he's bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking completely delighted with the circumstance he's described.

"This is a good drawing," his Uncle says and then folds it back up and hands it to the little boy, "Put it away and go on downstairs to the party, okay?"

Sunny turns to him, nodding, and reaching for it.

"No!" Blair snaps, irritated at the distraction, "Ask him to tell—"

"Blair," Serena cuts in with the warning.

Nate nods, "He's just a kid—"

"Which makes this a grave problem," Chuck interrupts as Sunny glances at them concernedly, "He's our only link."

"Sunny…?" His Aunt says the boy's name very softly and takes his chin in her hand as she turns his face from where he's looking at the four of them towards her. "What's wrong?"

"They're… sad…" Sunny says, trying to look back to them. But his Aunt's hold on his face is firm and she won't let him look away.

"Baby, there's nothing—"

"But there _is." _Sunny insists and his voice takes on a thread of pleading that makes them all wince. Admittedly, they've put the boy in a difficult situation.

"There really is, Auntie B," Sunny tells her, getting a little frantic, "They don't know why no one sees them or how come I do… they don't know anything! I asked them and they—"

"It's okay, Sunny." His uncle tells him quietly, "Take your drawing and go play…"

Blair's hand drops from the boy's face and she nods at him, pulls up a smile as she runs her fingers through his hair gently; he gesture almost to soothe herself rather than him.

Sunny looks at his Uncle Chuck and nods; but doesn't move away. Instead he looks back to his Auntie B, "But _is _there something special about it?" He asks her.

And behind him Serena and Nate bestow rather smug smiles on Chuck and Blair. The little boy hadn't been distracted after all.

The older Blair presses her lips together for a moment at Sunny's question and then she nods a little, "Sure, baby. There is… and I'll tell you about it tomorrow, okay? We have guests tonight."

Sunny nods at her, smiling. Then he turns to the four of them, "Is that good? Tomorrow?" He wonders, eyeing them expectantly.

And they all sigh a little, smile a bit, even Chuck, because he's just so _earnest_; it's Nate who responds, grinning at Sunny, "Yeah, kid. That works."

Sunny nods, looks back to Blair, "That works." He repeats.

"Alright, then go on," his Uncle Chuck says, approaching them, laying a hand atop Sunny's blonde head, "Go tell your Mommy we'll be out in a second."

"And Daddy too!" Sunny says nodding and rushing towards the door, "Daddy's here too!"

"Yes," Chuck agrees, nodding as he watches the boy cross the room, "Tell him too…" he pauses and then raises a hand faintly, "Oh and Sunny…"

Sunny halts with his hand on the doorknob.

"Tell your… new friends… about the closed-door-rule will you?"

Sunny nods, pulling the door open, "Oh I did. I already did!"

And then he looks over at his _new friends_ before leaving the room, opens his mouth to speak.

"We'll catch up with you later," Serena says kindly, smiling at him.

Sunny giggles, calling out a quick, "Okay, see ya!" Before running out of the room.

"Baby, don't run—" Blair calls out just as he shuts the door behind him. She finishes, "—in the house," on a sigh.

And then she looks up at Chuck, "Do you see that?"

"I saw it. Though I'm not sure—"

"And the drawing!"

"Yes, Blair I saw the—"

"I don't even _wear _that necklace!" She continues, frowning.

Chuck shrugs at her. "You must have. And forgotten."

"No, Chuck. I did not. It's not part of my usual— or even my _special _retinue. The only reason I even keep it with me is that I…" she trails off, eyes twinkling suddenly as she sends him a shrug now. "Attach a certain… sentimental value to it."

He smirks, takes another step towards where she's sitting and extends his hand to her, "Show me."

She takes slips her hand into his, standing to her feet. "Now? We have a yard full of guests…"

He's leading her to the vanity table though, and they follow slowly; quietly. Chuck is guiding her to the seat and then slipping in behind her, chin resting on her shoulder so her can oversee her hands as she does as he asked.

"And speaking of our yard and our guests," Blair says as she settles back against him, "What is our game plan anyway?" She asks him, opening a drawer and removing a small chest from it.

Chuck's lips have turned to her neck, skimming her skin, as he asks, "Game plan?"

She sets the chest on her surface and opens it, eyes sliding shut only a little at him ministrations, "With Nate and Serena," she clarifies, "Tonight?"

He lifts his head at that, "We need a game plan? Are we… getting involved in that?"

She meets his eyes in the mirror, "Aren't we already?"

They stare into their reflections for a moment longer and then Chuck sighs, "I suppose. We're advocating a reconciliation then?"

"Of course!" She exclaims, hands inside the chest; only to pause and instant later, "You don't think so?"

"I _think_ she needs to stay the fuck away from Carter Baizen, is what I think." Chuck spits, gaze burning into the glass of the reflection.

The room is still for a moment, Blair's hands frozen as she's about to extract something from the chest. There are some things they don't need to talk about anymore, but they still take a breath of air to dissipate.

A moment later she finishes extracting a piece of jewelry. "Hm," he says, "That would be something—but I wouldn't hold your breath, _dearest_."

The endearment is a touch mocking and he rolls his eyes, the flash of anger fading; she hands him the necklace.

"It really is the necklace," Nate says moving to stand beside the vanity.

"This is so freaky," Blair whispers.

"_This _is freaky?" Serena asks, blinking at her best friend. Because of everything they'd seen so far, the duplicate piece of jewelry was the _tamest._

"I'll admit," the older Chuck says carefully, taking the necklace in his hand, the other arm wrapped around his wife's waist, "The boy did a rather good rendering."

"He must have come in here…"

"Did he say he did?"

"No, but—"

"Did you ask him if he was lying?"

"Yes, he said no, but—"

"Sunny, doesn't lie about lying," Chuck said with a quirk to his lips. It was obviously an inside joke when a smile tilted Blair's lips as well.

"I know that, but what other explanation is there?"

"You wore it. He remembered it."

"I don't wear this necklace, Chuck… not just, _like that._ I don't wear any of these pieces just like that._"_ Blair insists.

He shifts a little and peers into the chest, "There's only three other pieces in there…" He says wryly, "I'm going to need to step-up my jewelry giving."

She smirks, but there's an odd warmth in her eyes as her gaze falls back to the contents of the chest. "You know that's not it. I can tell you exactly when I've worn these and when I got them. I'm telling you, I haven't worn that in _years _likely since before Sunny was born."

"When did I give this to you?" Chuck asks, setting it down on the surface and bringing that hand to Blair's face.

She swats at it, frowning, "We have _guests_ and we've been gone long enough." A moment later she adds, "Let's switch it tonight, you take Serena, I'll handle Nate— say a 12 hour effort?."

He's sliding closer, using the hand at her waist to pull her into him, "Sure. Except Serena is a little… _miffed_ at me right now…" He murmurs; free hand finding its way to her knee.

"Precisely why I'm giving you the opportunity to mend fences…" She tells him, her hand falling to his as he begins to slide her dress up, "Chuck—guests."

"So when did I give it you…" he asks, ignoring both comments and the gesture as the hand at her waist slides up her back.

"We should go!" Serena cries suddenly, a thread of alarm in her voice. Her gaze averted and her hands fluttering at her sides as she takes a big step away from the older versions of her best friend and brother.

Nate nods, vigorously; looking oddly like Sunny as he follows Serena's lead and steps back away from the couple, "Yes, let's get out of—"

"But it's just getting interesting," Chuck interrupts eyes fastened on the couple before the mirror.

"Chuck Bass!" Blair hisses just as her older counterpart says softly, "It was the summer after we graduated high school."

"I am _not_ into voyeurism," the younger Blair continues to hiss.

"Doesn't count if it's _ourselves," _Chuck responds cheekily as the older Chuck lowers his mouth to his wife's collarbone, "Good summer…" he murmurs, fingers beginning to slide the zipper of her dress down.

"It was a _terrible_ summer, Chuck Bass." His wife says heatedly; smiling a little even as she dislodges his hold on her zipper with a calculated shrug.

"Let's fix that then, Blair Bass… he breathes, the name easy on his lips as he refuses to be diverted, "Revisionist history…"

She laughs, but says, "No…" very firmly; shrugging her shoulder gently, so he'll stop, "Guests, party, game-plan." She lists.

And he sighs, stops kissing her and looks up; eyes on her reflection again, chin on her shoulder, "Really?"

"Yes, really. We've already been gone over a half hour. We need to see people off."

"And those pieces," he says motioning to the rest of the contents in the box, "Name them…"

"Chuck…"

"Hm…?" He asks, waggling his eyebrows at her in the mirror.

Their gazes hold for a beat and the younger Blair's eyes go wide as she realizes, "They've done this before…"

Just as the older Blair speaks, sighing softly as she gives in, "The earrings on our wedding night," she says, peering inside, sliding her fingers delicately over the rubies, "Your mother's like the pendant. The bracelet the day after Cash was bor—"

"Day _of," _he interrupts, "Not my fault you don't remember."

"Actually, _yes. _It _is_. I didn't impregnate _myself, _Chuck."

It's an old argument, the words worn and familiar in their mouths, their gazes warm where they meet in the glass.

And then he's kissing her again, corner of her mouth as he murmurs, "And that one…" softly, head tilting minutely to the chest.

Blair's breath is a laugh, "Seventeen," she murmurs, closing her eyes, "Night I turned seventeen."

"Hm, let's reenact it." He mutters softly.

And Blair laughs, eyes snapping open as she slides out of the seat and whirls around to stand behind him in one smooth motion, "Despite my loveof reenactments. We are _hosts_ tonight and have been absent long enough_."_

The skirt of her dress falls into perfect folds and she's not taking any more stalling. Her eyes say so.

"You're always a tease," Chuck whispers to his Blair, smirking.

"Conscientious," she snaps back, elbowing him lightly; a smirk of her own tilting her lips.

The older Chuck sighs, but stands without further complaint; knows a losing battle. "These?" He murmurs, motioning towards the jewelry box still out on the vanity.

"I'll put away tonight."

He nods, "Sunny?"

"Brunch, tomorrow," she precedes him to the door.

"Game plan?" He wonders, reaching beyond her to open the door.

"Guest room is ready," she answers him, slipping outside, "And Serena is eager to get you to listen to her."

And then they're beyond hearing range and the four of them are left standing there, still overwhelmed and still clueless.

"I'm getting really, really sick of following people around," Blair complains, frowning as they all trudge towards the door as well.

They're moving slowly and it's another beat before anyone speaks.

"At least your life is perfect," Serena points out sadly.

And Blair scowls at her as they descend the three steps and walk down the hallway, "It's not perfect if _yours _isn't," she counters derisively; the very tone of voice questioning Serena's intelligence or more importantly lack thereof.

And Serena starts a little, beside her, Nate pauses; Chuck rolls his eyes and continues towards the staircase.

Blair slows her pace when she sees Serena's expression, "What?" She asks, making a face at the blonde.

Serena shrugs, looks to Nate, "How does she make something so sweet sound mean?"

Nate snickers. "The Mystery of Blair Waldorf?" He says it like a book title.

And Serena giggles suddenly, envisioning a novel. She nods, "It's a three-volume set."

Nate grins at her, "Leather bound, of course…"

"Limited Edition!"

Blair huffs, rolls her eyes. "Oh for the love— you two _deserve _each other," she snaps, annoyed— and follows Chuck with heavy footsteps.

"I kept walking for a reason, Waldorf," he says as she falls into pace with him.

"Well, take me with you next time."

"We can still hear you," Serena giggles, "We're right here." She waves her hands behind their heads as they all descend the staircase.

"Yeah," Nate adds, still grinning.

The brunettes to do not respond and Nate and Serena exchange amused looks. It's strangely easy for the two of them to do this, to tease each other and their best friends, to behave like they haven't seen the visage of what they could be collapsing before they've even begun it, to pretend and still somehow mean it.

Serena's laugh is completely genuine and she knows Nate's smile is too. Because they're both very good at pretending not to see things so that nothing has to change.

"Alright," Chuck says slowly as they walk through the living room and into the little den with the bookshelves, "Let's piece this together, shall we?"

Blair nods, "I think—"

"I'm not _finished _with you, Grace!"

The shout is Nate's, but not the one standing with them.

They barely have time to comprehend that when Gracie comes stomping through the game-room doorway, intent on stomping her way through the den in the same fashion when Nate's voice sounds again.

"GRACE."

It's not a yell; more like an order, commanding and reinforced with steel and all four them jump a little, eyes widening, because it's a tone they've never heard from Nate before.

Gracie stops, but doesn't turn around. Her small face set in hard defiance as Nate walks up behind her. He's dried off, clothes and hair no worse for wear after his rescue mission in the pool. And his expression is frustrated, upset. Laugh lines on his face furrowing deeper as he gazes intensely at the girl's back.

"I want an explanation."

And she whirls around, blue glimmering with anger, "Or what?! Are you going to _ground_ me from your _hotel suite?!" _She snaps, glaring at him across the length of the den.

"You think your Aunt and Uncle won't enforce whatever punishment I see fit?" Nate asks her, his eyes narrowed.

"Right. Let Uncle Chuck and Aunt Blair do it— like _always_. They're the only ones that even care!"

The steel vanishes in the blink of an eye as hurt flashes across Nate's features. He takes a step towards her. "That's not true; that's not what you and the others being here is, Gracie. This was just the best way to—"

"No. It's— Mom off with someone _new_ and you off with your _ex." _

The accusation rings in the air for a moment; Nate's expression startled. And then asks her, voice low, "Who told you that?"

"I'm not stupid."

"No…" he says gently, eyes roving over her young face, "Too smart, I'd say. I wasn't off with anyone. I—"

"Would you have come?" She interrupts, "If I'd told you Mom was going to be here?"

His silence is answer enough; and despite the anger buoying her words, something in her gaze shrivels.

"See," she says, "I _had _to lie. When I asked you to just come, you said no."

"I said I'd come in a couple days, Monday morning. I have Annie and the dog with me— and you see how well that turned out tonight…"

"I needed you to come _today_."

"Lying to me isn't acceptable."

"I'm _not _sorry."

He sighs at her statement, shakes his head a little, "No… I don't suppose you are." And then he watches her for a moment, "Tell me what you were hoping for here, Gracie…"

And it's like he's let the air out of her balloon. All the anger just fades away, dissipates, and she's blinking at him like it's some sort of trick question she'll never answer and come away from alive.

He moves towards her then; big strides and she looks tiny when he's standing in front of her— a sad, little girl in a yellow dress with her mother's big blue eyes filling with tears.

He reaches for her and she jumps into his arms without another word; because the answer is right there in her tears. She was hoping that somehow everything would fix itself, that their family would magically mend back together. He lifts her up against his chest. Her legs wrap around his waist and her arms around his neck and her face presses into his shoulder.

"It's going to get easier, sweetheart," he comforts a moment later, one hand rubbing circles on her back. "I promise."

She mumbles something against his shoulder they don't catch, he doesn't either.

"What is it?" He asks her.

She turns her head, eyes still closed, "You're going to forget me."

It's not a question.

"Gracie." Nate bounces her a little in his arms, "That's an impossibility, sweetheart."

She lifts her head."You will. You have Sunny and you have Annie and if you're not married to my Mom than you don't need me and—"

Nate bounces her again. "Hey, stop it. It's not possible, Gracie. You're my baby girl, you know that. And you have been for a lot longer than I've been married to your Mom…" he smiles at her a little, "Like your whole life, basically. I'm your godfather, remember."

"But it won't be the same if you're not married anymore," the girl says and a tear rolls down her cheek, "It'll be like… like with my Dad."

Nate's gaze is very steady on her face. "Sweetheart, that's different. Your Dad travels a lot. That's what a correspondent does. They go to places no one else can and—"

"I know," she says, "I just… I don't… want you to— to forget me."

"That'll never happen, Gracie. Ever." He says very firmly. But then a moment later he arcs an eyebrow a little, "But tonight wasn't just about that, was it?"

The girl sniffles, bites her lip a little, and then looks a way for a moment, "Not really…" She confesses after a beat.

"You can't call me and tell me lies to get me to go somewhere. It's not nice and it's not honest."

She looks back to him. "I know."

"Tell me you won't do it again," he pauses, "Tell me and I'll believe you."

Gracie draws in a deep breath; it hitches in her chest and she sighs a little, before nodding. "I won't do it again."

Nate nods, satisfied, "Good."

But Gracie's eyes fill with tears again. "I just… I wanted things to— to stay the same as always," she told him softly, "I don't like all of us here with you and Mom gone. I don't like just seeing you on weekends. I don't like just talking to Mom on the phone. I _hate _it."

Nate adjusts his hold on her as he says. "I hate it too… but it's… temporary. We'll sort it out and then—"

"But we won't all be together again at the house then, will we?" Gracie asks, anxiety slipping into her voice, "You're going to get divorced aren't you? And then—"

"Where did you hear that?" He asks again.

And again she says, "I'm not stupid."

And he watches her for a moment, the eyelashes wet with the tears, the bottom lip that's quivering a little— he tilts his head to one side, offers her a tiny smile, forcing his expression to relax as he repeats, "No, too smart, I'd say," with a wryness in his tone now; a hint of teasing.

He's lightening the mood. Ending the conversation before it slips into something he won't discuss with this child yet.

And it works; a small smile tilts her lips too.

"And too preoccupied with the problems of adults," he continues, "Let us do the worrying and plotting, okay? You focus on…" he pauses and wonders aloud, "Dolls…?"

She laughs a little, lays her head on his shoulder again, closing her eyes as she says, voice just as wry, "Uh, no."

Nate gives her a squeeze in his arms as he walks towards the door. "Dresses?" He guesses a moment a later.

And she giggles a little, "_Fashion_, Uncle Nate."

"Ah," he says turning out of the den, "Fashion. Of _course_."

When they leave, the room is silent. The space around them completely still, until Serena sighs, shakes her head. "My god; I've done a… a _number _on her," she says quietly, gaze on the floor.

Nate sighs in exasperation suddenly, hands coming up around him. "I don't understand what's going on here," he admits, "I mean… it's all just so… complicated. I mean… Serena and I are married and getting divorced and we have a kid and something happened with Carter and I'm mad… and she was somewhere else and I was somewhere else and the kids were all here… so was I with Vanessa? And she with Carter? Was I _married _to Vanessa too? And what's up with Dan? Because Gracie's not happy with him. And why does she think only Blair and Chuck care? And who's Liam's Dad? And where _is _Liam? And why are we—"

"Thank you for the summarization, Nathaniel," Chuck interrupts, "But we've been present for the unfolding events as well, so no need to list them."

"We need answers," Blair says, moving towards the game-room.

"Yes, well our four-year-old guide isn't going to be much help in that respect." Chuck responds.

"We need to get him to question someone for us," she deduces.

"Someone who'll take it seriously," Serena points out softly as they enter the room.

The lawn is visible through the patio doors and Blair sighs as she looks out at the lights and the people. The number of them has diminished and no doubt the party is winding down.

"I'm not going back out there," she states, moving to one of the sofas, "I've had enough of the trekking indoors and outdoors."

"So is this it?" Serena asks as the others take Blair's lead and sit around. She stands in the center of the room, her back to the patio doors, facing them. Chuck slides in beside her, no surprise there, though her allowing it, and him to take her hand, is a bit. Nate sprawls in the other corner, eyes fastened on her.

Chuck clears his throat, "I sincerely doubt this is our future, S. As you said it's an… elaborate halluci—"

"No, not that." Serena interrupts. Though she's pretty certain none of them doubt this is their future anymore— it's too… concrete to deny; too detailed and nuanced and fractured to be a product of their imaginings. She shakes her head, "I mean, we're just here… till when? Are sleeping here tonight? Because…"

"Oh, god." Blair whispers as Serena trails off, "What if we're stuck here?"

"We're not stuck here," Chuck says immediately.

"We _could _be… we don't even know how we got here."

"Maybe it's a curse," Serena offers, beginning to pace.

"A curse?" Chuck says, enunciating very clearly; skepticism dripping off the two words.

"Serena, _please." _Blair snaps, "Be serious."

"No! Really! Maybe it's—"

"No, Serena, not _really. _I _told _you to stop reading Harry Potter!" Blair retorts, "This isn't some curse! This is—"

The door opens and Harm runs inside as Blair's speaking; dark eyes scanning the room quickly before rushing out towards the den.

Blair's closing her mouth when they hear the boy's young voice, along with a deeper rumbling voice, beyond the doorway. A moment later, grown-up Nate is striding into the room, just as the older Blair is slipping through the patio doors.

"Oh," he says, motioning behind himself, "Harm just—"

She nods at him, "Yeah, he's looking for Gracie," she tells him, "Where is she? How'd it go?"

"In her room. I figured she could use an early night." He says and then ducks his head a little, "Pretty awful. Girl, knows how to lay the guilt on thick, Blair. Nice job."

"Here we go again," the younger Blair mutters, frowning at the images in front them as she burrows a little closer to Chuck, "More conversations we can't follow…"

Serena sighs too; Nate shifts on the sofa and motions for her to sit beside him and with a small smile she does. The sofa cushions tilt her into him a little and she tries to straighten away from him when he bumps his shoulder into hers, "Stop wiggling," he prompts, poking her in the ribs.

She giggles, saying, "That tickles," and pokes back.

The older Blair has drawn herself up straighter. "I had not a thing to do with tonight's events outside of coordinating the homecoming cook-out, Nate." She says.

"I didn't say you did, just that—"

"And Gracie has ample reason to be upset, you know. You and Serena did bail on them."

"She took off! And what was I supposed to do, Blair? Move them into the hotel with me? That wouldn't fan the media flames at all… at least here they—"

"You could have stayed at the house."

"With paparazzi in the front yard?"

"Then you should have come _here _with them, like I told you to."

"I _did _come here, but—"

"_Stayed _here," she snaps.

"I have _work, _Blair, I can't just—"

"You can commute when you need to, Chuck does it and—"

"Well I don't _train _as well he does! We established that a long time ago!"

She scowls. "Don't get huffy with me, Nate! It's not my fault you made Gracie cry!"

And they are glaring at one another now; gazes clashing across the room. It's Nate who breaks the tension with a low groan and widened eyes, "How did you know that?"

Blair takes the cue, blows out a breath as she rolls her eyes, "You are _oozing _guilt. You're too sensitive," she teases after a moment, "So you made a little girl cry… things happen…" she finishes with a shrug.

He rolls his eyes at her now. "She's not sorry."

Blair beams at him. "Of course she isn't."

He sighs softly, "You don't have to sound so proud about it."

She smirks a little, "Never renege."

Nate shakes his head, looks a bit amused, "Is Annie still outside? I should get going—"

He's moving past her as he speaks and she reaches out to grab his arm, cutting him off.

"Stay the night," she says.

And he shrugs her off without hesitation. "Definitely not."

"Nate—"

"No. And whatever you and Chuck are thinking or starting or plotting—stop it."

"_Please_ Nate, we hardly have time to _plot _things," Blair says airily. "I'm simply asking you to stay because it's approaching midnight. Annie is with you. And the guest room is already made-up. There's no reason for you take a half hour drive to your mother's or even a longer one to the city when you're welcome here." She says with simplicity, "But if you want to take my kind suggestion, offered in nothing but the most caring spirit, and treat it as—"

"Enough, Blair," he cuts in, waving a hand as a vaguely amused expression flickers over his face, "I get the idea… I'm just not in the mood to be _fixed _okay? You and Chuck just—"

"Have either of us said a single thing to you about this? Other than to discuss the children and their situations, have we pressed you for answers? Told you what to think? Demanded any form of action? Condemned you for anything?"

He blinks, the vague amusement in his expression fading at her pointed questions, "No… you haven't. You've both been perfectly neutral."

"Precisely," she says crisply with a nod, "Because you and Serena are adults and there's no reason why either of us needs to take valuable time out of our very busy lives to point out that speaking to one another face-to-face, without shouting, might be a tad more beneficial than leaving _notes_ forand sending _divorce_ papers to each other; that your behavior affects all your children in increasingly detrimental ways; and that just because you _think _you've kept the media maelstrom away from them doesn't mean you _actually _have and you should behave accordingly… there's need for us to do that."

Nate gapes at her for a moment. They all do. Because it's decidedly a Blair rant, but delivered with je ne se quoi, a blasé quality to the words, that their Blair has not yet mastered.

He clears his throat then, swallows hard, "You're right. There's no need for that," he says softly.

Blair licks her lips, "Stay the night. Watch the stars with Sunny. Have breakfast with us in the morning…" she entices, adding with a small smile, "I'll even allow that wretched beast to stay on the property."

Nate doesn't smile. "In exchange for?"

"Nothing, Nate. I'm not going to ask anything of you when it comes to Serena. I'm not going to say anything either." There's sincerity in the words, her brown eye fastened on his face intently.

And after a moment, he nods. "Okay—the night then."

She nods back. "Annie can stay in Gracie's room…"

At that, Nate laughs a little, lightly, "That a good idea? You had a fit last time…"

"Well, it's not like Annie is going to teach Gracie to play football _again _is it?" Blair asks archly.

"You didn't really need those azaleas anyway…" Nate teases, moving towards the patio door. "I'm gonna go find her…"

"Alright, tell Chuck I'll be right back outside. I just want to check on Harm and Gracie, really quickly."

"Just that?" Nate asks, smirking fully now, "Not avoiding the bulk of seeing people off?"

She frowns at him, "Don't you give me that look, Nate Archibald. Whose fault is it that yet another Blair Bass soirée contains mayhem and impropriety? A dog? Really?

Nate grins, "Your parties are never boring, Blair."

She tosses her hair and turns around, tosses, "I would never be so lucky," over her shoulder.

And Nate watches her for a beat, standing by the doorway, as she crosses the room; his carefree expression melting away.

"Blair?" He calls her name quietly.

She pauses just in the doorway, turns back to him. "Hm?"

"If you _were_ saying things… about Serena and I? What would you… be saying?"

"Nate—"

"I'm asking."

She draws in a deep breath, is quiet for a moment, and then answers softly, "I'd say that… Serena loves you like she's never loved anyone and that you've loved her since as far back as I can remember and that it's a lot to lose... so tread carefully."

Their gazes hold for a moment and then he nods once and slips outside.

Blair doesn't move when he does, she stares at the spot where he'd stood for a beat, before sighing very softly and moving away as well.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Um, so liked 12 chapters, okay? ;) Thank you for the wonderful reviews and comments. I hope you enjoy.

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* * *

In the silence that follows their departure, Chuck holds Blair's hand and she leans her head on his shoulder; while Serena slowly shifts to look into Nate's face— and finds his blue eyes watching her, a warmth in them she can't quite face.

And she feels the oddest prickling of tears in her eyes, because the older Blair's words are ringing in her ears and it's all right there, in those eyes— it always has been. As far back and further than _"but you're back now" _and into and beyond "_you can't blame Serena for this…"_

She pushes herself up from the sofa, rips her gaze away from his before she does something or says something that can't be controlled or brushed away.

The warmth in his gaze doesn't fade, but his expression flickers with regret as he watches her stand.

"I'm going to— to follow Blair… see how…" she trails off, isn't sure what she wants to see; just knows she has to get away.

Blair frowns. "Serena, I said that I didn't want to—"

Serena frowns back. "So stay here than, B. But I want to—"

"That would be splitting up," Blair points out.

"I'll go with her," Nate offers.

Chuck rolls his eyes, "Still constitutes splitting up, Nathaniel."

Serena sighs, "We can't just stay here…"

Blair arcs an eyebrow haughtily, "Why not?"

"Because I want to know exactly everything that happens in this house!" Serena snaps at her.

And Blair stiffens, straightening from Chuck's hold, her eyes narrowing as she prepares a biting remark, no doubt.

Behind her Chuck shoots Nate a look and Nate grimaces. When S and B start shouting it's always best to divert or seek cover.

"Guys…" Nate starts, hoping to divert, "Let's not argue…"

"Nathaniel is correct," Chuck asserts, taking his cue, "Dissention among us is definitely not in our best interest."

"Taking a walk won't hurt any, Blair," Nate continues.

"And Serena is clearly distressed; certainly she knows there's no reason to be angry at you."Chuck adds, slipping past Blair and standing as he gives his sister a pointed glance.

"Or for you to be mad at her," Nate adds, also standing and inclining his head a little towards Blair.

"So shall we take a stroll above?" Chuck concludes and extends his hand to Blair, in a fashion echoing the gesture the older Chuck earlier.

Blair stares at him for a moment, then his hand, then him again; before sighing and grumbling, "Oh fine."

She takes his hand and hops up from the sofa; but not before shooting Serena a quick glare.

The blonde sighs too. "Sorry… B. I just…"She trails off, doesn't know what to say.

Blair rolls her eyes, but doesn't respond; and they're all silent as they walk in unison out of the room. Until Blair asks very carefully, "If this _were _a curse… what exactly do you believe it would entail?" It's Blair's version of _it's okay, S._

And Serena brightens a little, sends her best friend a tiny smile.

Unfortunately, Chuck doesn't quite hear the translation. "My mother's necklace is not cursed," he says instantly.

"But you said it was her aunt's first," Nate responds.

"It's not—"

"Chuck, it's not like they'd _know," _Serena cuts in, "And it would be like… activated only under certain conditions."

"What conditions?" Blair wonders, "And how do we end it?"

"I don't know, B," Serena says softly, shrugging as they enter the living room. "It could be something that has a time limit or it could be something that we have to do… or maybe it's about seeing something…" she adds after a moment, "Since we're in a situation where that's pretty much all we can do… see."

"So after we see something, we'd go home?" Nate asks as they begin ascending the staircase.

Serena shrugs, "Maybe…"

"So what activated it?" Chuck wonders.

"It sparked when Blair touched it," Nate answers, shooting Blair a quick look of apology.

"So _I _did this!?" She shouts.

"No!" Serena contradicts quickly, "No, no. You didn't do anything… if it's a curse or something… then the conditions had to be—"

"This is _absurd,_" Chuck cuts in, "There is no such _thing _as curses or hexes, despite what the entertainment industry would have us believe."

"You think a joint hallucination with all these detailsin it is a better explanation?" Serena asks him.

"Yes," he says as they turn into the hallway that leads to Gracie's room, "It's called mass psychogenic illness and it's a sociopsychological phenomenon."

The other three stop walking to stare at him as he approaches the open door of Gracie's room.

He pauses when he realizes they are no longer with him, "What?"

Nate shakes his head, "How do you even _know _that, man?"

Chuck shrugs. "I read," and then his gaze flits to Blair and he smirks, eyes dropping to her mouth, "Though I hope to find less time to do so."

Blair rolls her eyes and walks forward, "Being a CEO should do that well-enough for you…" she murmurs as she pushes past him.

He reaches out and grabs her around the waist, "Being your boyfriend should do it better…" he breathes in her ear, leaning in close.

And she pauses, turns into him, looks into his face.

Behind them Nate and Serena roll their eyes and nod at each other, before slipping past the brunettes and into the room.

"Do you mean that?"She asks very softly.

And he knows precisely what she means. "Yes. I _am_, you know…" he says just as softly, "I'm not particularly _good _at it, I realize," he continues referring to his job as _boyfriend, _"But I…" he trails off, shrugs a little.

She tilts her head to one side, still watching, "But you are."

He nods once, "But I am."

And she stares at him for a beat, before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his mouth, "You'll get better," she says confidently; before moving out of his hold and inside the room to join Serena and Nate. A moment later, he follows her, smiling a little.

The older Blair is standing off to one side of the room, her arms crossed in front of her, and there's nothing but a hint of a smirk tilting the corner of her lips as she watches the children in the room.

"So this would be why Sunny was hiding from you earlier?" She was saying to them as Chuck and Blair walked inside. They join Nate and Serena standing beside the bed.

Gracie's dress is gone. Her hair is pulled back into a messy knot at the nape of her neck and she's wearing pajamas— shorts and a t-shirt both printed with tiny little handbags in a variety of colors; she's bare-foot and sitting cross-legged on her bed. Harm is still in his party clothes, but his shoes are off and he is stretched out across the length of her bed, propped up on his elbows and watching his mother's expression with a very serious one of his own.

"He just wanted to get me into trouble," Gracie corrects, "Because I didn't let him talk."

"Ah I see," her Aunt responds, "It had nothing to do with you yelling at him and slamming the door in his face."

"He did slam it back." The girl points out.

And Blair nods after a moment, accepting this before shifting her gaze to her son. "And your hand in this?" She asks of him.

Harm blinks, guilelessly, and brings one of his hands up in front of his face, "My hand?"

Gracie snorts a giggle.

Blair is not amused. "Harmon."

"Oh…" he says expansively, lowering his hand and leaning back on it again, "You mean like what did _I _do?" He says sweetly.

"Yes, Harm, I mean like what did you do?" Blair repeats balefully, the smirk stretching a bit on her lips.

"Oh well… not much really… Gracie was upset because… you know, Aunt Serena was bringing— hey! _Did _she bring someone? I didn't even see anyone…?"he wonders, glancing at Gracie quickly.

She shrugs.

"Let's stay on point," Blair directs rather than answer his question and he sighs.

"Right. So she was upset and wanted to… you know, Mom… like… figure out a way to put things back the way they were, so I… talked with her about it."

"But only a little bit," Gracie adds.

Blair nods, "In other words, it was all your idea and she put it into action."

Neither child says a word and Serena can't help but giggle a little. Her Blair sends her a silencing look for the effort.

"Alright then," the older Blair says when the silence in the room has stretched long enough, "Harm, no swimming, electronics, video games, or soccer until Tuesday morning."

The boy shoots up from his lounging position, "Mom!" He cries, eyes wide, "That's like almost a whole week!"

"He didn't even _do _anything, Aunt B." Gracie protests, frowning.

"It's 3 days, Harm." She tells her son.

"Really _important _3 days, Mom. Like the _weekend." _

"I'm aware," Blair says calmly, nodding. "And you," she says looking at Gracie, "Are in luck… because your parents are here and I'll leave your punishment to them."

Gracie rolls her eyes, "Oh wonderful."

"Tone down the sarcasm, Gracie," Blair reprimands. And then gives them both a stern look, "The danger in a plot set in motion is always going to be discovery. If you're not willing to pay the price then don't set it in motion," she tells them very seriously; and a beat later adds, "Or don't get caught," with a slight arc to her eyebrow. And then she turns around and heads for the door, tossing, "Annie is staying in here tonight, lend her pajamas. I'll see you all later before bedtime," over her shoulder.

When she's out of earshot Gracie sends Harm a skeptical look, "Do we even _have_ bedtimes?"

He smirks a little, "I think she likes to pretend we do," he tells her and then drops down onto the bed and stares up at the ceiling. "What exactly am I supposed to do until _Tuesday _for entertainment? _Television?_" He says; and the scathing tone is inherited directly from his mother.

Gracie rolls her eyes. "_Hardly," _she says emphatically, "It'll be fine… finer than tonight anyway. I mean, _Annie's_ staying in here?" She says and makes a _bleh _face he doesn't see.

But he lifts his head anyway, as if he had seen it, and stares at her. "You like Annie," he says firmly.

Gracie huffs and rolls her eyes; uncrosses her legs so she stretch out and collapse on her back beside him; her gaze fastening onto the ceiling as well.

"I don't like _anybody _tonight." She says vehemently.

"You like me." He replies confidently.

She scoffs, "Like you count."

"Jee, thanks. I just got _punished _for you, you know. I could _die _of boredom in three days."

"Don't be a baby."

"I'm serious!"

"Read a book."

He blows out a sigh and turns his head towards her, "Is it worth it at least? You think?"

She sighs too, more softly, and turns her head towards him. "Too soon to tell, I think… but at least they're here, right?"

"Yeah," he agrees, "There's that."

She doesn't respond, shifts her gaze back to the ceiling and he stares at her profile for another beat, before elbowing her in the side, "I am _not _a baby."

"Hey!" She starts, flinching at the attack, and then shoves him hard in shoulder.

He shoves back. "You're getting off, you know," he accuses, "No way Aunt Serena's gonna punish you and Uncle Nate lets you do anything anyway."

She's in the process of shoving him hard enough for him to topple off her bed when she freezes, "Huh." And drops back on the bed, gaze going to the ceiling again. "You're right," she giggles, "Sweet."

He huffs, shifts back away from the edge and takes up his former pose looking upwards.

A moment passes and then she laughs again, "Well, don't _cry_ about it,Harmon. I'll tell Uncle Nate to talk to Uncle Chuck and he'll talk to Aunt B, you'll be free by tomorrow afternoon."

He cuts his eyes to her for a moment before looking back up, looks a tiny bit smug, before he says, "Deal."

And Gracie laughs again, more softly, before they lapse into a companionable silence.

"Why does that sound like it's been done before," Blair asks rhetorically a moment later.

"Maybe it has been," Nate answers her, shrugging a little.

She frowns at the quiet children as if they could see her and then turns towards the door, "I suppose we have to trek back downstairs now…" she complains and shoots Serena a slightly resentful look.

Serena smiles a little, shaking her head. "Did you really want to miss yourself parenting? And so _well_…" She asks cheekily, "Or these two? Look how adorable they are just lying there looking up at the—" And she tilts her head up as she speaks and then trails off abruptly.

The ceiling is painted in a mural of swirling rainbow colors, pastel pinks and blues and purples and greens mixing together in a work of delicate, abstract beauty.

"Wow," Serena finishes softly.

They all tip their heads back to see what has caught her attention.

"That's pretty cool," Nate acknowledges a moment later.

And Blair nods, studying the swirling patterns.

Chuck smiles a little, says softly, "Very… involved…"

They all study it for a few seconds more and then Blair sighs, begins walking away, "Let's go back downstairs then," she says.

And they agree with her, exit the room quietly.

Serena tips her head back once more to look up at the ceiling as she passes the threshold. Nate laughs softly at the doorway and she tears her gaze from it to look at him, "It's pretty…" she tells him.

And he nods, looking at her, "Very pretty…" He agrees.

She flushes a little at the words, said while his gaze is so intently on her, but manages to keep her smile and follow after him without saying a word about it.

They walk downstairs and through the living room without incident. Chuck and Blair are holding hands and Nate and Serena refrain from commenting; but not from smiling about it.

From the den, they can hear the murmurs of conversation coming from the game-room— and they exchange quick looks of concern. Very few of the conversations they'd thus far overheard had been good.

At the center of the game-room, arranged in a semi-circle, are standing Serena, Blair, and dark-haired man they had yet to meet. He's wearing black jeans with a dark green polo shirt tucked into them, and an expression of patience that's on its last leg as he listens to Serena speak.

"… come and _told_ us about it." The blonde finishes in a frustrated tone.

"Sure," he says nodding exaggeratedly, "I could have come and told you about him take a stroll— oh wait, I sent _Eric _to tell you!"

Blair sighs roughly, "Well, Eric didn't tell us! He got distracted!"

The man nods, lips pressed together, "How precisely is that my fault?" He asks calmly, widening bright, green eyes at Blair.

Blair's own eyes narrow. And Serena sighs.

The man lifts up both hands in an appeasing gesture, "Okay, okay— but Liam told us he told you he was going to walk to Candy's, just so you know…"

"He told _Gracie," _Blair huffs, "And we all know how forthcoming with information _she _is."

The man shrugs, looking a little amused, "Well then you take all this up with Eric and Gracie and Liam, Blair. _I _did nothing but take a walk with one of my nephews after driving past him on the street—very _kind _of me, actually."

"This must be Greg," Blair whispers quietly, tilting her head a little as she studies him— the height, the dark hair, the smile— and then she smirks a bit, says, "E, has a _type," _with amusement in her voice.

"One can only hope this one is less of a philandering charlatan."

"Chuck!" Serena hisses quietly, as if the images before them could _hear _them.

"But he's here _now_?" The older Serena asks.

Greg nods. "I walked him back. He's in the kitchen."

"Okay then… I'm going to go… talk to him…" Serena says softly, almost warily.

Greg nods. "Good idea…" he says, but then makes an airy gesture with one of his hands, "But be ready… he's not particularly… receptive." He tells her carefully.

And Serena nods, expression downcast, but determined. "I'm sure he's not." She responds.

"Did you help with that?" Blair asks him breaking into the brief silence that follows Serena's words.

The man makes a face at her, says, "Of _course," _grandly, before continuing more seriously, "I talked to him a little bit about… things._" _Then a moment later he grins at them both, "I should _bill _you people." He teases.

And Blair rolls her eyes at him while Serena laughs lightly and swats at his shoulder.

"Ow!" He cries dramatically and rubs at it, "I should!" He continues, "I get random phone consultations about imaginary friends and impromptu sessions in the middle of the street— all in my off hours!"

Serena shakes her head, blue eyes twinkling and fixed on his face, "I'm your sister-in-law! You _can't_ bill me!" She explains, laughingly.

He looks indignant. "Says who!?"

"My _brother…_" She retort cheekily.

And that seems to take the wind out of his sails. "Oh," he says, still smiling a little, "You make a valid point."

"Don't I though?" She says.

And he laughs, "Okay, okay… are we done with the interrogation then? Because I could use a drink… from the bar— outside; and Eric— and he's outside and Sunny… who I'm suppose to talk to… also, outside, so—"

"Yes, Greg," Blair cuts, "Interrogation over, you may go— outside."

"_Thank_ you," he says with a slight inclination of his head, green eye twinkling as he bounds past her towards the doors.

The women watch him leave and then Blair shakes her head a little, "He's _made _of energy, isn't he?"

"Looks like," Serena agrees, nodding and smiling a little.

And then the room is silent and her smile begins to fade.

"I really hope they don't start yelling again," Nate says quietly, on a sigh.

The girls exchange a quick look and then Serena nods at Nate, "Yeah, so do we." She says softly.

It's a moment later when the older Serena makes a motion with her hand. "Blair… about earlier…"

The brunette shakes her head. "I'm not going to add to your troubles Serena," she tells her gently, "It's fine…" she says and then makes a face, "Well not _fine… _I mean of _all _the people to bring here— although I suppose it could have been worse… it could have been—"she cuts herself off abruptly and shakes her head before continuing, "Go on and talk to Liam."

Serena nods. "I will… but first, I wanted to talk to you…"

Blair presses her lips together and tilts her head to one side. "Oh. About what? About not telling _me _what you were planning to do? About leaving the states despite the fact that I asked you not to?"

Serena licks her lips, "Right. About that…"

"Not a good time, S." The brunette says, ice slipping into her voice.

"Never going to be a good time, B." Serena counters.

And then rushes on quickly, "He needed my help, and I was, _am, _sure I could get you to understand… but you'd tell Chuck, and he wouldn't… and he would've told Nate and… and I couldn't have that..."

Blair laughs a little; completely humorless as she lifts a hand to halt Serena's words. "It was," she says very clearly, voice hard, "A _stupid _thing to do, Serena."

The younger Serena flinches, but the older one does not.

She meets Blair's eyes and nods, "Yes," she agrees softly, "It really was… and if I could do it over… I'd do it differently… but I can't B, I can't and…" her eyes are filling with tears then and Blair looks away, gaze falling to the floor rather than watch her sister cry, "And I need your help to put it right..." Serena finishes quietly, voice tight with tears.

The room is still for a moment and then Blair looks up and they see there are tears in her eyes too. "You have my help Serena, you always have and will, I just… I wish you could stop needing it."

Serena nods, draws in another deep breath. "I thought I could get out of this unscathed, you know? A quick trip to Dubai and back before— and Nate would never— and now it's just spun so out of control… I have no idea what to do or what to say to him…"

She trails off then and Blair watches her for a long moment.

Then she draws in a deep breath of her own, blinking back her tears before asking simply, "Well, do you _want_ a divorce?"

Serena starts, eyes widening, "Wha—? No!" She exclaims loudly, tone slightly horrified.

Blair shrugs, "You could start with that, I guess. Tell him that."

Serena gapes at her for a moment, the tears still sitting in her eyes. She blinks them back, "He has to know that—"

"You haven't told him; how would he know?"

Serena stares at her in silence.

Blair sighs and moves towards her, takes her sister's hand and tugs her over to the sofa.

The women fold down into it, facing each other, legs touching and it's such a familiar pose for the younger Blair and Serena that they exchange a quick glance before moving closer.

Blair assumes her _lecture _expression and then begins, "You sent him on that sailing thing with Liam and Gracie, bring Sunny to us and then take off. Now assuming he hadn't needed to get back to the city early and the paparazzi hadn't caught you on the deck of a yacht in the arms of your ex-husband, I'm still not clear on how you thought you'd manage to keep Sunny quiet about you're not being with him while his Dad and siblings were gone or…" she pauses a moment, to ensure that Serena is looking at her, "_Us _quiet about it without arousing our suspicions. Which you did, the _moment, _you went off-line."

"Blair—"

"I'm not finished," the brunette snaps, the gentility in her voice making way to reveal how upset she was by this situation; and Serena licks her lips and nods, falling silent. "But regardless, you sent him on the trip and he did come back early and the tabloids did print those pictures— but rather than discuss this face to face, you two video conference it and shout at one another—"

"I had every intention of coming back, Blair, but then he—"

"Yes, yes, I know. He brought Liam and Gracie to Chuck and I and went to Vanessa. I'm aware. The entire modern _world _is aware, Serena. That's what happens when a Senator's wife skips town with her ex-husband and he moves back in with _his _ex-wife—the press goes crazy."

Serena looks away; and Blair continues, "The fact is you _didn't _come home. Instead, you're photographed _again _with Carter. And you continue to not come home for two weeks, despite that fact that he files for divorce when those pictures are released." Blair pauses, "So tell me what in there ought to lead Nate to believe you don't want a divorce?"

Serena sighs roughly, "I don't know, Blair. The part where I keep apologizing to him and calling him and begging him to listen to me…?"

Blair stares at her for a beat and then rolls her eyes. "Do you really believe Nate thinks that's what you're talking about when say those things?"

"What _else _would I be talking about?"

"Serena…" Blair says on a sigh and then lifts a hand a little as she continues, "I shouldn't even have ask you this… but did you _read_ some of the articles published with those picture?"

The blonde startles. "What? No… of course not, why would I read that trash?"

"Well… I didn't either," Blair says offhandedly, "But apparently the PR people for BI did and Nate's people did and… there are supposed witnesses to you and Carter being lovey-dovey and—"

"What!?"

Blair nods, "It's coming across like you _left _Nate for Carter."

"_What?!" _

Blair nods again, "So all these apologies— well, I'm sure he thinks there're about—"

"He _can't _believe that!" She shouts.

And Blair sighs, "And why not?"

"Because—because…" Serena shudders, actually shakes as her hands come up to cover her face, "My god…" she whispers, "This is a nightmare."

Blair reaches out and grabs her wrists, pulls Serena's hands away from her face, doesn't let her hide. "Yes, it is. So wake up— and for god's sake, S, _stay _awake, yes?"

Serena's gaze sharpens on Blair's face, "Do _you _believe me? Believe that's not what I did, _at all._"

Blair drops her hands from Serena's wrists, "Well, with you looking so very horrified at the thought, yes."

"But not before…?"

Blair shrugs one shoulder, softens her gaze a little, makes her voice gentler; because the words alone are blow enough. "It was a random and sudden flouting of marital vows… so not completely out of character."

Serena stares at her for a moment and then her hands come up to her face again as she folds downwards towards them; no tears, no sobbing, no sound at all.

The room is completely still then; the four of them staring at the quiet women, absorbing everything they've just heard. Chuck glances at Serena carefully, notes she's as pale as her older counterpart and nudges Blair a little. The brunette startles a bit, pulls her gaze from the older women to look at girl beside her. "Oh honey," she whispers and takes Serena's hand in her own.

"You should have come to me," the older Blair says into the silence.

And Serena lifts her head; looks exhausted suddenly, but her gaze is steady on Blair's, "I wouldn't do that to you," she says quietly.

Blair shrugs, "If you had… this might have been avoided."

Serena shakes her head, "No… it wouldn't have, it'd just involve you and Chuck… not coming to you is probably the one thing I did right in this mess."

Blair's mouth tilts upwards a little, "You're assuming I would have come up with a better scheme for you to get away and back unnoticed… but perhaps, I would have gone with honesty."

They stare at each other for a beat. And then they both laugh a little, some of the tension fading.

"Speaking of schemes," Serena says carefully, "Whatever Chuck's planning, tell him to drop it please."

Blair tilts her head a little, "I have no idea what you're speaking of."

Serena rolls her eyes a bit, "Please. You can't think I don't recognize the _plotting _stare by now, do you?"

"If there _was_ any plotting going on," Blair says just as carefully, "You realize it would be entirely towards your benefit."

Serena smiles a little, "Yes, and it's not that I don't appreciate it… but, I got myself into this right? I need to… sort it out on my own."

Blair shrugs one shoulder, but doesn't respond. A moment later she puckers her lips together and narrows her eyes a bit in a clear signal she is about to change subjects; before asking, "Am I to assume then that Carter's need of your help involved the death of his parents?"

Serena ducks her head a little, "Yes… you know, wills and inheritances and clauses and things I shouldn't really… discuss, until…"

"Until you tell Nate?" Blair finishes for her.

The blonde nods slowly and shifts on the sofa, "Yes, until I tell him… I owe him explanation."

Blair shifts as well, sensing the end of their conversation, for now at least. "Hm, overdue, I'd say… you didn't let Carter goad you into doing anything… _unwise_, did you?"

Serena arcs an eyebrow, a sad, breathy laugh escaping her.

And Blair waves a hand in the air, "Well, _more _unwise, I mean?"

Serena shakes her head, a sad smirk on her face, "Nothing that will make it into the news."

"Did _Carter _tell you that?" Blair wonders skeptically.

Serena lifts her chin a little, "He did. And it _hasn't." _

"Fine," Blair says, "But I'd get something else to hold over him, just to be safe."

Serena moves to stand then, the smirk becoming wry, "Yes, youwould."

They stand together then and quite suddenly they're embracing; hugging tightly the way S and B always hug and Blair's saying, "I'm glad you're home."

And Serena's whispering, "I missed you."

And the atmosphere has turned warm with affection.

Blair nods as she pulls back, "Now go talk to your son."

Serena nods back, releasing the other woman and stepping back, "Wish me luck…" she says dryly.

"Oh," Blair says, voice wry, as she turns away, "You'll need much more than luck…"

It's a good-natured tease though and Serena rolls her eyes, calls out, "Thanks for the vote of confidence," as Blair slips through the door and outside.

The blonde's smile fades completely when there's no one to see her, no one she can see at least; and she lifts a hand to run over her face, rubs at her eyes for a moment, before drawing in a deep breath and leaving the room, presumably on her way to the kitchen.

"Well," Nate says moment later. "That was… good. No yelling, I mean…"

"That's all you have to say?" Serena asks him, voice shaky, "Did you _hear _wha—what I said… what that me said…? All the things that have happened? And all you have to say is…" she trails off, shakes her head and meets his gaze, her blue eyes almost frantic.

Nate shrugs, "Well yeah, it's not… like this is real, Serena..." he says and then adds, "And if it was…" he ducks his head a little, "It'll be okay… things'll work out."

She stares at him. "How can you say that?"

Nate shrugs again, looks a little uncomfortable suddenly at being the focus of three intent stares, "I just… _can_," he says, voice tight.

And then waves in the direction the older Serena had walked off in. "Are we going?"

Serena stares at him, doesn't respond; her gaze roving over his face, trying to find where that certainty could come from, what it was he was seeing that she wasn't…

"Yes," Blair says firmly, giving Serena's hand a squeeze, "We're going…"

And Chuck nods once and leads the way.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

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They pick their way through unfamiliar room hesitantly, without much conversation. It's been a very long day and they are all feeling its weight; steps heavy, thoughts sluggish. Chuck and Blair are still holding hands, while Blair's other arm is linked through Serena's and Nate's shoulder is pressing into hers on the other side. They're leaning into one another, brushing arms with staggering steps as they glance at the pristine dining room and the photographs lining the walls.

There are vases with fresh flowers and decorative urns holding candles that will never be lit. The place immaculate and Blair wonders vaguely how large a staff this older version of herself has.

They turn into the kitchen in silence and find it equally silent.

It's huge. And oddly enough, bears a distinctly farmhouse décor to it; with one side of the room lined with large windows. During the day the room is likely to be filled with light, but at the moment the curtains are drawn over each one and the overhead lights bathe the room a delicate yellow glow.

There's a large circular table at its center, exposed wood and bare; and sitting at the table is Liam, dressed exactly as he'd been the last time they'd seen him and looking equally composed.

His light eyes are fixed on his mother, who's standing beside the table, arms at her sides; very still, while somehow giving the impression of fidgeting.

It doesn't look as if much has been said while Serena's been in the room.

Much… or anything at all.

"I don't know if I can watch this," Serena whispers, "I just want it all to stop…"

Blair nods, tugs at her friends arm while giving Chuck's hand a meaningful squeeze, "Okay, then we won't—"

"Are you waiting for an apology or something?" Liam's voice is completely blank; the cadence of it giving nothing but a question a mark away.

And Blair falls silent, knows her friend isn't moving.

"Of course not," his mother says softly.

One corner of Liam's mouth tilts upwards, but there's no humor on his face. He looks older than he should then, sitting in the homey kitchen, both hands on the table, looking up at his; looks like he's grown up already and knows what comes after happily ever after.

"No," he says, "I don't suppose you would."

And maybe he does.

She moves towards a chair and pulls it out, sits down without saying another word. And the kitchen is quiet for a beat. They are far enough removed from everyone, from the action going on, that there's simply no noise at all.

"Where did you go?" She asks when the silence stretches too thin.

"For a walk."

"To…?"

"Away," he answers simply, gaze pointed.

Hi s mother flinches a bit, but nods. "Point taken. You're not up for celebrating my return home."

"Are you even?" He asks, "Home?"

"Liam—"

"I mean now's when you take off to see the world free of children and husbands isn't it?" He continues, "At least it was last time."

"This time is not like last time!" Serena snaps. And then winces, regret flashing across her face, "And that's not what it was like last time either," she says more gently, "It wasn't about being free of you, Liam, it wasn't that at all…"

He shakes his head, scoffs a laugh, "Right." He's quiet for another moment and then continues, "You know, earlier… Gracie, she was telling me— talking to me, about that time I ran away… remember… like a year or so after you and Dad got divorced…"

"Of course I remember, Liam." Serena says when he trails off, "It was the most terrifying day of my life."

Liam doesn't respond to that, he blinks at her continues in that same neutral voice, "She thinks— that somehow that… fixed our life or something… and she's going to do the same thing—"

Serena's eyes widen, panic flaring in them, as she goes to speak.

But Liam shakes his head, "No, no, not by running away," he says quickly, "By…" he shrugs a little, trails off for a moment, before continuing, "I don't know actually… but she thinks… she thinks she can fix it… and it's…" he leans forward, gaze fixed on her face, "It's not _fair, _Mom," he says emphatically; and right then, it breaks, the blank expression, the neutral tone— there's a rippling of little boy in it and his mother sees it.

Her hand comes out towards him, falls atop one his on the table, and he doesn't pull away; continues to look into her face.

"I'm _fourteen. _I shouldn't have to… feel like… like I'm watching history repeat itself. I'm too _young _for that. And what Mom? In five years, Gracie gets to feel this way about Sunny? Get's to watch him try to fix up a family that's falling apart all over again..." he trails off then, like a well of words has run dry. Leans back, eyes dropping from her face, but his hand—it stays with hers.

And she's watching him, with this expression on her face, that's just different from any they've seen thus far. It's not an older variation of her frantic expression or anxious one, it's not sadness at the mess she's made or joy at seeing her baby, it's not the concern at not being believed or the relief of friendship on the mend— it's an expression of love so intense, that for a moment, they don't see it at all. And then it comes together so clearly it takes their breath away, it's their first glimpse of Serena as _Mom._

"You're right," she says, and her voice whispers of unshed tears, "It's not fair. It's really not fair; and telling you that I'm sorry… it's not enough. I know that," she squeezes his hand a little, "I know how scary it—"

"I'm not scared," he cuts in, lifting his face; pale blue eyes burning hot on her face.

"Really?" She says, "Because I am. I'm so scared of just that, of history repeating itself." She confesses and they know it's a truth larger than Liam can see.

"Then why did do it? Huh? " He asks, and there's no belligerence in the question, only pure curiosity.

"Things are so much more complicated than you know, baby. Things… just… they get so interwoven, so tied together, it's hard to pick out just one reason. And I know… I know that doesn't make a lot of sense to you, isn't anywhere near good enough, but—"

"Dad said I could spend the rest of the summer with him… and Sylvia and the twins. They're in Kiev."

Serena's flow of words halts abruptly when Liam cuts her off; but she doesn't flinch. She waits for him to continue and when he doesn't she asks softly, "And what did you say?"

"That I'd think about it," he answers, nodding a little.

Serena nods a little too, bites her lower lip a little and says softly, "Henry would love that… to have you with him."

"Right," Liam agrees nodding again, but his voice is sharp, tight, and he's blinking quickly like maybe his mother isn't the only one fighting tears, "Him and his _family_."

"You're part of his family, Liam. You're his son."

"Come on, Mom. He has 25 year old wife and three-year-old twin boys—I'm a tiny bit superfluous… it was a courtesy offer."

Serena's hand tightens on his, "You are _not. _Henry _adores _you."

"Yeah, a few weeks out of the year and to babysit the boys so Sylvia doesn't have to feel like nannies are raising her kids."

"Liam—"

"I don't _want_ to spend the summer with them," he says just as abruptly as he'd brought the offer up; his voice strained, "But I don't want to spend the summer like _this_ either." He tells her.

And there's a catch in his voice now as he pulls his hand out from under hers, brings it up to rub at his face.

It's a gesture similar to Serena's earlier and the three of them glance quickly at their girl. She's still pale, eyes as wide-eyed as her adult version, but she's holding it together somehow.

The older version, not so much; she leans back then, eyes filling with tears, "The one good thing I ever did for Henry Braxton was you, Liam. And that is about the only thing both of us still agree on these days, so _don't _think things like that."

"What should I think then, Mom?"

The question is a deceptively casual one, they can see it in the way he's lifted his gaze to hers again. The way he stiffens a little in the chair, waits for a verdict on something they didn't quite catch.

She blinks away the tears. "I'm not leaving."

"Is that supposed to mean something? As far as I know, Carter has residences and business in the states."

She starts at the words, the first reaction of the like he's gotten, manages to look aghast suddenly as she asks shakily, "God Liam, have you been—? You can't be reading that—?"

"Not even Uncle Chuck can control all of the internet, Mom."

Serena looks wholly miserable for a moment; and then the expression fades and she shakes her head. "I'm not with Carter, Liam." Her voice is a whisper.

"Not with Carter the way you weren't with _Dan Humphrey_?"

The accusation is quiet, the resentment old; and Serena goes very still.

"That is a... fair question... from you," she acknowledges very softly, gaze resting on his face. "What happened with Dan while-- while your Dad and I were married..." she explains very seriously, very steadily, "Is _not _what is happening now with Carter and your Uncle Nate."

And he doesn't respond to the words, only stares at her.

"I'm not with Carter," she repeats, "I haven't been in a long time," her voice is hushed now, heavy in the air, "And if I have any say about it, this divorce isn't happening."

The words whirl in the silent kitchen for a moment.

And then Liam's expression shifts, softens away from blank and into something approaching longing. "I want to believe you."

Serena nods and the tears back now. "I know you do."

And he looks away from her as they fall quiet again. One of her tears falls, rolls down her cheek, and she brushes it away quickly before he can see it, draws in a deep breath, looks about to speak.

When he lifts his eyes to her, "Some party, huh?" He asks softly.

She blinks, a flicker of not-yet-hope flashing across her face, "I to—told Blair not to, that it wasn't necessary or… appropriate…"

Liam's lips tilt upwards a little, "Good excuse for cake though."

And she smiles a little, releases a quick breath that sounds like relief, "Cake doesn't need an excuse— you know that."

He nods; the smile a little firmer on his face, "I guess leaving your welcome home party kinda sent a message, huh?"

She shrugs a little, tilts her head a bit.

"S'not a completely… accurate… message…" he continues, "I mean, not if…" he takes a deep breath, "If you're really here to stay…"

And Serena's standing from her chair then, reaching over to pull Liam up from his and into her arms. "I am." She's whispering fiercely as she hugs him tight.

His arms come around her and his face presses into her shoulder as he closes his eyes and let's himself be held.

"Mom…" Liam says, moments later.

"I promise," Serena says.

"Okay, good... but— too tight, let go..."

"Oh!" She cries, jumping back a little, a hand coming up to wipe wetness from her face, "Sorry… I just…"

He nods; the smile lighter now as he asks dryly, "You're not crying are you?" Even though he can see quite clearly that she is.

She smiles, sniffles a little, "Of course not."

He rolls his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me where you went tonight?" She asks suddenly and the mood shifts again, steadies away from sadness and tension, into familiarity and caring.

Liam rolls his eyes. "Nowhere, seriously… I just went for a walk around town."

"Did the walk end at Candice's?" Serena asks a little teasingly as she leans back against the edge of the table.

Liam frowns. "No!" He huffs, "Why does everyone keep asking me about her?"

Serena laughs. "Because you've never gone with a girl during the summer."

"_Gone with a girl? _Mom? What decade are you from?"

"Hey!" Serena cries and seems about to defend herself further when Annie comes rushing into the kitchen.

Chuck manages to leap aside just before she walks through him, muttering a quick, "Fuck," at the close call.

The girl comes to halt abruptly, squeaking, "Oh sorry," when she sees Serena and Liam obviously in conversation, "B told me I could get water for Moonie from the refrigerator. I didn't mean to… interrupt."

"Annie?" Liam says, eyes widening.

As Serena nods at the child, "Of course, go ahead. You're not interrupting."

The girl gives Liam a strange look and says, "Yeah…" warily as she moves towards the appliance; nodding at Serena and saying, "Thanks."

"What are you— " Liam cuts himself off, realizing how rude that question would sound. Instead he shoots a quick, questioning look at his mother, who offers him a small smile in return.

"What am I what?" Annie asks over her shoulder as she peers into the refrigerator.

"Nothing…" he says and then contradicts himself with, "What's a moonie."

She straightens with three bottles of water in her hands and bumps the door shut with her elbow, "Moonie's my dog. He's staying in the pool-house tonight."

At that Serena starts— just a tiny bit, "Staying?" She echoes.

Annie nods moving to leave, "Yeah, Dad said it's late so we're gonna stay tonight." She pauses, looks at Serena, "That's cool right?"

Serena's breath comes out a tiny laugh and she lifts a hand a little, "Yeah, of course it is…"

Annie nods and continues on her way out, "'kay, see ya later."

It's Nate this time who has to shift so as not to be walked through. He goes to stand next to Chuck who gives him a long-suffering look which he returns heartily. The girls pay them both little to no attention, gazes fixed on Liam and his mother.

The older Serena and Liam watch Annie go with the same intensity they are being watched with; and then Liam fixes a concerned look on his mother, "Why's Annie here? What's going on?"

Serena sighs and shrugs, "I presume Nate has her this weekend."

"So he's here then… I didn't know that…" Liam says thoughtfully.

"That's alright… he didn't know _I_ was here."

The boy's eyes widen, "Oh."

Serena nods, "Yep…" and then she teases, "See what happens when you walk out of Blair Bass Soirée early...?"

He laughs a little, shakes his head, "Gracie's doing, huh?"

Serena nods. "Told him Sunny was sick with bronchitis."

"Wow."

"I hope that's a, _you're-horrified-by-your-little-sister's-behavior_ wow."

"Oh definitely," Liam says nodding and offers her a quick smile. Before asking, "You gonna talk to her tonight?"

Serena nods slowly, "Kind of a must."

And Liam grins suddenly. "This party is _kind of_ a bust for you." He teases back.

"Kind of?" She says on a laugh, "Cake _doesn't exist _worth tonight," she grumbles good-naturedly as she straightens from the edge of table.

His smile doesn't waver when she slips an arm around his shoulders starts to tug him out of the room.

The four of them shift to allow them passage, Blair's arm still linked through Serena's; the boys are standing together on the other side.

Liam is almost as tall his mother, another three inches and he's there; but for now, she can still tilt her head onto his gently, still give his shoulders a loving squeeze.

He sighs a little. But a moment later he says, "Mom…" softly, his voice achingly sincere as he cuts his gaze to her a little bashfully, "I..." he trails off.

And she nods, "I know, baby. It's okay…" her words pause, though their steps don't and then she's saying very carefully, "I'm just glad you believe me."

"Sure," he tells her as they leave the kitchen, before adding, "This time," carefully.

And they hear Serena assure him, "There's only going to be this time." Before they're both out of sight and out of hearing range.

Blair's breath leaves her on a rush the moment the two are gone. She shifts her gaze to stare at her best friend and when she finds Serena's eyes fixed blankly ahead she yanks the girl towards one of the chairs, "My god!" she exclaims, "Sit down! I have to sit down, so you _must _have sit down… my god!"

But Blair doesn't sit down. She pushes Serena into one the chairs and then she paces. "We need to get out of here." She says resolutely.

"Yeah, Blair, we know." Nate snaps.

She whirls on him, "_You_ could try saying something helpful! Instead of talking about sparks!"

"I'm just telling you what I saw!"

"There's no need for either of you to shout," Chuck says calmly, interposing himself between the two of them.

"I'm not shouting!" Blair yells, "I'm just—"

"Serena…" Nate says, moving around Chuck and Blair and towards the blonde. She's standing and walking towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" He asks, coming up to her, touching her shoulder gently.

She stops and looks up into his face. "It's like… my own personal train wreck, Nate. I can't look away."

And then she's moving again, leaving them in the kitchen without another word. Nate shoots a panicked behind him at Chuck and Blair before moving after Serena quickly.

"Hey!" He calls after her, slipping into step with her, "No splitting up remember."

She doesn't speak or acknowledge him as they walk though the dining room; Chuck and Blair following a couple paces behind, exchanging worried glances.

They're walking through the game-room, noting the quiet lawn through the patio doors, the caterers cleaning up, the stage dismantled— party was over it would seem, when Serena sends Nate sharp look. "How can you be okay with this?"

His expression is a little wary as he answers, "I'm _not,"_ he says emphatically, "I'm just... I think it'll be okay, the future, the two of us... we're just... always going to be okay, okay?"

She doesn't respond, shifts her gaze forward and just keeps walking, so he does too; keeps walking and speaking, "But all of us getting out of here," he continues, "Bothers me more than—"

"Oh my god."

Serena's soft exclamation, her abrupt stop, bring his words to a halt and he looks away from her face to see where her gaze has fastened.

Behind them, Chuck and Blair stop too. And a moment later Blair gasps and says, "This cannot be good," as Chuck sighs roughly and says, "Wonderful," with sarcasm slathered over every syllable.

Because standing at the center of the living room into which they have just walked, are Chuck, Blair, Serena, and Nate— the adults.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you all for the wonderful comments and feedback! I'm behind responding to reviews because I used the time to write! But I'll be catch up this week. I did want to say very quickly that "Henry Braxton" who I've mentioned as Liam's father and is mentioned a couple times in this chapter is an original character that I'm using as Serena's first husband. His relationship with her will be clarified more fully in upcoming chapters... of which there will be more than 12. ;P

I hope you enjoy and again, thanks for reviewing! :)

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For an entire afternoon and into an evening they had been watching themselves as adults; observing the lives they had built, the children they were raising, the ways in which they had changed and stayed the same. They had watched their own expressions, seen their same mannerism, heard their own voices all from a person just _almost _ identical to them; had seen their own faces aged with time and faint lines and experience, had born witness to a future full of troubles and children and warmth and sadness, smiles and tears, fear and relief…

And none of it, not one single moment, was as surreal as standing there together before the image of themselves standing there together. It was the most intense out-of-body experience yet; to see themselves gathered in silence, looking and not looking at one another the way they were want to do when there was trouble.

"This is not going to end well," Blair says ominously, "I can tell… we should… go…"

"And go where, Blair?" Chuck wonders tiredly from beside her. He was getting exhausted too; emotions ebbing and flowing in a relentless pounding of images.

"_Anywhere_, Chuck," she hisses and motions towards Serena's who's expression, who's very stance, is still oddly shell-shocked; she is watching the group with ever widening eyes, pale face awash in worry. "She can't watch anymore of this," Blair adds in a heated whisper that Serena cannot possibly miss hearing, and yet, makes no comment about.

"We could go upstairs," Nate says carefully and nudges Serena with his shoulder, takes her chilled hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"No." She answers dully, eyes fixed on the other four occupants of the room; she doesn't return the squeeze, doesn't pull herself free, just leaves her hand limp in his. He holds it firmly, so she won't forget he's there.

"S, you don't have to do this to—" Chuck begins, but never finishes.

"Come now… did anyone here really believe this moment was going to be avoided?"

It's the older Blair who speaks, voice a perfect balance of polished amusement and teasing warning.

"I was _hoping _it would be," the older Nate snits.

"Don't be a bore, Nathaniel," Chuck drawls and he's moving closer towards Blair then, "You know how Blair feels about family brunches," he rakes his eyes over his best friend and then shifts the same intense look to his sister, "You will both, of course, attend in the morning."

Serena looks away from that gaze.

Nate bristles, shakes his head, "I can't. I have—"

"A little girl who won't be falling asleep until well into the wee hours of the morning," Blair cuts in, "Since she is, as we speak, sneaking supplies, bedding, and two of the other children out to the pool house."

Nate glares at Blair.

And it's so odd— the expression and gesture so similar to what had just transpired in the kitchen that the two young people exchange quick looks.

"Which two?" Serena asks, her voice soft; and it's a nonsensical question they all know, future and present— it's just sound to fill up the silent space.

Blair looks to her, humors her, "Gracie and Harm, of course."

Nate's glare shifts into a frown as he watches Blair, the line of body turned away Serena, as he says, "You could stop them, you know. Since you know about it."

Blair waves a hand in the air, dismissive and sardonic, as Chuck slips an arm low around her waist."Certainly," she says, "Because people _always_ do as they should…"

"Blair," Serena says, an edge of fear in her voice, as she sends the brunette a quick look.

"I'm speaking of the _children, _Serena," Blair tells her, but she's not and they all know it.

They're silent then. As still and quiet as they'd been when the four younger had walked into the room.

It's Nate who breaks the silence, takes a step away from them, "I'm gonna go talk to—"

"Stay here…" Chuck interrupts him, leaning past his wife a little to fasten dark eyes on the other man's face, "Talk to your wife…"

Nate's expression darkens even as Serena starts a little; and they both say his name with varying degrees of warning.

"Chuck—"

"_Chuck." _

He laughs at them both, motions towards the space between them. "Not me. Each _other."_

"Did you _plan _this?" Nate accuses.

Chuck rolls his eyes, "Yes, Nathaniel. I arranged for Blair and me to be coming inside through the den just as you were descending the stairs just as Liam and Serena were coming in from kitchen."

"As I said," Blair picks up, "You couldn't have believed this wouldn't happen at some point, the house is large, but we do fill it to capacity..."

"And as _I _said, I _hoped _it wouldn't," Nate snaps back and then he looks at Serena, glares, but he's still speaking to Blair, "I have nothing more to say to her. We've said everything—"

"We haven't said _anything_!" Serena cries, whirling towards him, "You won't _listen _to me!"

"What is there to listen _to,_ Serena!?" He shouts back, "It's a pretty clear cut case!"

"I didn't sleep with Carter!"

"Which time!?"

"May I remind you both," Chuck's smooth, quiet voice slides in between the two blondes, "That the one person in this house completely unaware of any troubles is _your son. _And that although I'm certain Liam's quick departure was to ascertain the younger children not be privy to this meeting, he cannot very well control their _hearing." _

But neither Nate nor Serena look to Chuck as he speaks, though they both hear and heed his words. Their blue eyes are fastened on each other; a yarn of sorrow burning bright and binding them together.

"Either time, Nate," Serena answers, voice low, tearful; but her eyes steady, "I _didn't. _And you have to believe me, you—"

"Why, Serena? Why do I have to believe you? Huh? You've lied to me!"And there's outrage in his voice, disbelief; because that's the sticking point, the part that stings. The lie.

"But not about this! I'm not lying about this!"

They're yelling again and can't stop it.

"And how am I supposed to _know _that!? How can—"

"Please, just trust me, I would never—"

"Trust you?! The way Henry trusted you, you mean?!"

And Serena rears back as if slapped, a gaspy sob startled out of her as she stares at Nate with wide, betrayed, blue eyes; one hand comes to the base of her throat as she's stepping back, away, her tears spilling before anyone else can say another word.

The silence is thick; and Blair takes a step towards Serena, out of Chuck's hold, but the blonde shakes her head, is moving away from the three of them, avoiding their eyes, as she heads towards the stairs.

And Blair shoots Nate a venomous look, spits, "Low-blow, Nate," at him angrily before moving after Serena.

And moment later both women have disappeared upstairs.

The men stare at the empty steps for a beat before dropping their gazes from it; and the look Nate shifts to Chuck is a meld of defiance and anger, his jaw clenched, mouth a straight line as he waits for the fall-out of what he just said.

But the look Chuck returns to him is mild, eyebrows arched faintly, mouth puckered in bemusement as if this were nothing more than a spat the younger kids were having.

Nate breaks the silence with a low, gruff breath, "Well?" He hisses and makes a motion with his hand, "Just say it."

Chuck shrugs one shoulder, "Say what?"

"Chuck, I am _not _in the mood for games."

"No games," Chuck says and the bemusement fades a bit, "I simply don't think I need to tell you that bringing up the ex-husband is a touch…" he pauses, "Tacky."

"But accurate," Nate counters determinedly.

Chuck rolls his eyes and actually huffs, frustration flashing across his features, "Don't be absurd, Nathaniel. If she'd married you from the beginning none of that business with _Humphrey _would ever have happened."

Nate glares at him for the words; eyes narrowed and hard for a moment.

And then it vanishes; just like that, the anger drains away and he sighs, gaze dropping to the floor as he runs a hand through his hair and shrugs, "I don't…" he says wearily, "I don't know what to do about her."

"You could try listening to her."

He lifts his gaze and offers Chuck a sad, half smile. "I know what she's going to tell me, Chuck. I know exactly what she's going to say."

"Do you now?"

"She's going to be sorry, so sorry…" Nate says very quietly into the room. His hair is standing on end now after he's run his fingers through it and his hands are in his pockets— and he looks oddly bereft. "She's going to regret it," he continues, "She never meant to hurt me…"

He trails off there and Chuck watches him for a moment and then presses his lips together before asking, "And you've… determined this from what exactly?"

A breathy, humorless laugh, "From years of watching it happen to others...?" He says wryly.

Chuck shakes his head, "Don't be _stupid. _You've never been an _other_."

"I would have said that too, Chuck, but…" he shrugs a little, "This is kind of the same situation others have been in…"

"No, it's not. This is a misunderstanding."

"Pretty fucking huge misunderstanding then," Nate says, bite to the words.

Chuck shrugs. "A Serena-Drama bearing its mark of usual impressive turmoil … you have been privy to them before."

"Not from this angle."

"So end it then."

"I'm just supposed to forgive and forget? Just like that. If Blair had done something like this, you—"

"The comparison isn't apt, Nathaniel."

"Why not? Because Blair would never—?"

"Because there's a certain measure of… distrust… between Blair and I?"

Nate blinks. They all do.

"What?" Nate asks after a moment.

"If my dear wife came to me at any time and _suggested _I take our boys on a trip she was not to accompany us on I would be on the phone with every investigator I know within 3 minutes of the conversations end." Chuck tells him simply.

And Nate stares at him. "You can't be serious."

"I would ask for reports on every place she'd been and everyone she'd come into contact with in the past month—and I'm certain Blair would expect me to."

Nate stares at him for a moment more and then he shakes his head, a smile tilting his lips, "I'm _never _going to understand the two of you... I mean how can that even be _healthy…?_"

Chuck shrugs a little, a smirk on his lips, "And I don't really expect you to, Nathaniel. My sister however," he says, a little more seriously, "I've always thought you understood."

Nate sighs. "Yeah, that makes two of us."

Chuck nods after a moment and says firmly. "Just resolve it. The media is going insane and it needs to be stopped. Neither of can have it… and it's drawing increasing attention to the blends of our family, which is never a good idea."

"I'm aware Chuck," Nate says just as seriously, straightening a little.

"Then have a press conference or something, _Senator." _

"And what am I supposed to _say _at this—"

"Which brings us back to _resolve it_. The media mess has been going on for over 2 weeks now and this entire mess is quickly reaching over a month's time frame. We need to contain it—_should _have contained it by now."

"I _know," _Nate says, "It's not just BI this reflects badly on, you know. Serena may be a face of the company, but she's my _wife. _You realize the message this sends to my constituents? It's a disaster."

Chuck makes a face at him, it looks almost sympathetic.

And then Nate speaks again, voice low, "And then there's Carter. What exactly am I—"

"Nothing."Chuck cuts in, voice just low, eyes narrowing menacingly, "You do nothing about Carter."

"Chuck. It's my score to settle, _my _wife he—"

"Let me," Chuck says before Nate can finish; and there's a thread of _please, _underlying the tone, "There are… _matters_ I need to discuss with Carter Baizen."

Nate stares at him. "What matters?"

"There's business, Serena said."

"You want to go into business with Carter?"

"Perhaps."

"Chuck…"

"Leave it to me, Nathaniel. I don't have… _constituents, _to worry about."

Nate stares for a beat and then slowly raises both eyebrows almost to his hairline, "Just don't make things worse," he says wryly.

Chuck smirks, "You're faith in me is overwhelming."

"Hey, I'm just saying…" Nate says, smiling a little, "When Chuck Bass gets involved, things tend to—"

"Become either highly efficient or highly pleasurable?" Chuck offers.

"Or highly convoluted." Nate corrects.

Chuck waves towards the far side of the room," Come on, Blair told me supervise the dismantling… of something…"

Nate rolls his eyes, "The tents perhaps?"

"Ah yes. Let's do that then…"

Nate nods as Chuck crosses the room towards him and they turn to leave, "And you can tell me about these matters you find yourself in need of discussing with Carter."

Chuck gives him a sidelong glance as they walk, "You're going to insist on that, are you?"

They're turning out of the room as Nate says, "I am," firmly.

And Chuck responds with an amused, "Very well."

The room is empty of future visages then, just the four of them, standing as still as they'd been through the entire conversation.

And then Serena's moving, hand slipping out of Nate's hold as she strides forward into the center of the room and towards the stairs.

"Serena!"

It's Blair this time, who calls her name, who follows the girl with rushed steps and a worried frown, "S, wait…"

Serena whirls on Blair and the brunette freezes mid-step at the look in her best friends gaze. There's an icy determination in them, a deep-rooted fury that she doesn't associate with the bubbly blonde.

"I won't become this person."

She turns back around then, intent on climbing the steps, when Blair reaches out and grabs her arm, "Hey— this person isn't so bad." She says and she means it.

And it's perhaps the worst thing she could have said, the worst part of this entire scenario for her to have acknowledged.

Serena's blue eyes blaze and she yanks her arm free, "Why, Blair?! Because she's _me?" _There's anger in her voice but it does nothing to hide the fear, "Because she's still ME, isn't she?! She's flighty and irresponsible and she's still _ME!" _

"Serena—"

"I cheat on this Henry with Dan and on Nate with Carter and what? Did I cheat on Carter with Nate!? I'm fickle and undependable and—"

"You said it wasn't true," Nate's voice is quiet and oh so steady as he interrupts her, comes to stand beside Blair, "You have to believe yourself." He says and her gaze moves from Blair to him, "I believe you."

Serena scowls at him, eyes glimmering brightly with tears, "No! _Don't _defend her to me! Not you!"

And she whirls back and takes the steps two at a time towards the upstairs bedrooms where the older Blair and Serena had retreated to.

Blair blows out a breath then, shivers a little, "We need to get out of here," she says yet again, but there's a tremor in her voice now.

Chuck comes up behind her, pulls her to his chest. "She'll be okay…" he tells her, "She's just scared… and angry…"

"But why," Nate asks, eyes still fastened on the steps.

Chuck sighs roughly, "Because this is her beyond her worst nightmare, Nathaniel."

Nate blinks, pulls his gaze to Chuck, and stares; waiting for clarification.

Blair lifts her head and frowns at him, "Not only is she like her mother, Nate, she's hurt _you." _Blair sighs.

Nate shakes his head, "But she's _not _like her mother," he contradicts fervently, gaze going back to the steps, "She _can't_ be… she's too—too… _Serena _for that… she cares too much and she's too…" he shrugs, trailing off, completely bewildered.

Blair exchanges a quick look with Chuck; both a touch amused despite the distressing moment. "Let's go find her," Blair says firmly and pulls out of Chuck's hold. Her hand finds his though as she leads him and Nate up the steps.

There's music when they reach the second floor and they all exchange curious glances. They find Serena, and the music, in Gracie's room.

The expression on Serena's face is set in grim lines that do not correspond to the scene they find in Gracie's room.

It's just Gracie and her mother in the room; the lights dim, the music resounding seemingly from the walls, the ceiling alight in the swirl of colors they'd seen earlier, which apparently glow in the dark, and Gracie and her Mom, jumping on the bed singing some pop-sounding song about _girls _and _beauty _and _power._

They're holding hands and jumping up and down, waves of glossy hair, blonde and auburn, bouncing in the air as their laughter interrupts the words of the song and they're heads bang to the beat of it.

"What are they doing?!" Blair shouts at her Serena.

"Obviously _not _talking!" Serena yells back.

"But how did she—?" Nate cuts himself off, shakes his head.

And even Chuck looks vaguely confused at the sudden change from the Serena they had seen downstairs, near tears, hysterics even; and this one, jumping joyfully and singing a song loudly.

The older Serena's arms come out around Gracie then and pull the girl up mid-jump, maneuvering her so they both fall back to the bed all the way down on their bottoms. Gracie squeaks with laughter, "Mom!"

And Serena laughs, whirls off of the bed to stand and pull her little girl with her so they're spinning about the room.

"… _and suddenly, I see, I see… this is what… I wanna be_ …_"_

"Were they doing this when you got up here?!" Blair asks moving to stand beside Serena.

"Yes!" She shouts back, "How can she just—let it go like that?!"

Blair shrugs widely, "Who? Let what go?!"

"Gracie! Her mother leaves her here for _weeks!? _And now she's just—"

Disbelief covers Blair's face, "She's like _nine, _Serena!?"

"Can we get out of here, please!?" Chuck shouts, "My tolerance for _pop _music is _low." _

Nate nods, reaches out and grabs Serena's arm, pulling her from the room before the girl can protest.

In the hallway, she glares at him; opens her mouth to speak and he lifts a hand in a stopping motion, "_Shush!"_He snaps, glaring back, "_Stop _being so hard on her."

"Stop being so _easy _on her," she snaps back.

"I'm _not_. She screwed up, I _see _that. But people screw up, Serena, stop thinking she's the devil incarnate for it,"

"It's not a little screw up, Nate! Are you even listening! You're like a _senator_ and she's like your _adulterous_ wife! It could ruin your life!?"

Off to one side Blair nudges Chuck, "How long are we going to let this go on?"

Chuck sighs, looking pained. "Until that hideous beat stops echoing in my head."

"Lives don't ruin that easy Serena!" Nate yells at her, "And she's _not. _She said so!"

Serena's glaring so hard her entire expression is radiating with it. "Stop believing everything I say! That's obviously the problem!"

"Well stop not believing in yourself!"

"Both of you stop shouting." Chuck says then, stepping towards them. "Follow me." And then he's walking past them, down the hallway.

Nate and Serena stare after him, both panting a little, before looking back to each other.

"Well, you heard him," Blair says, "Go…" she waves for them to follow Chuck and when they do, she follows.

Chuck leads them to Sunny's door and then he knocks. "Sunny."

And a moment later the door opens and the little boy is standing there; he's bare-foot and wearing blue pajamas that are little shorts and a t-shirt, printed with tiny little anchors, and he's holding an incongruously pink, stuffed rabbit in one arm. "Oh hi!" He says excitedly like they're visitors he's greeting at the front door, "I wondered if you'd gone away, but you're not! You're here!" He says happily and moves aside.

Chuck walks into the room and the others follow.

"The party's over! Did you see!?" He tells them as he shuts the door. There's coloring book on his bed along with a few dozen crayons. "And I got to watch stars with Dad! Not a lot though, because it was late and Mommy was busy inside so she didn't watch with us, but me and Dad watched a little stars and tomorrow night we can watch more and everybody can watch with us," Sunny says sagely as he climbs back onto his bed.

When none of them speak, he tilts his head to one side. "Are you sad?"

"We can't find a way home," Chuck tells him; and then ducks his head a little, because it comes out a tiny bit like a whine.

And Sunny nods. "It's okay though. Auntie B will tell us about the necklace at the brunch in d'morning and then you'll be able to go home! You'll see!" He says, complete faith in that this will be the outcome.

"Do your Mom and Gracie always…. sing together?" Serena asks; and the anger is wholly gone from her voice, from her eyes. There's only exhaustion tinted with curiosity in both now.

Sunny's eyes go wide, "_Are _they singing?!" He asks excitedly.

"Yes," Serena answers, "Do they do it a lot… even if something wrong?"

Sunny shrugs, shifting on his bed; clutching the bunny tight against his middle, "I dunno… I guess so. Sometimes if Gracie's mad 'cause of— cause of… stuff, then they sing… 'cause it makes people happy— happy songs, happy people!" He says it in such a way that they know it's a saying he's been told; before continuing, "And they sing sometimes just 'cause Mommy likes it. And Gracie likes it too. And sometimes I get to sing too or sometimes they sing _for _me…" he pauses and eyes them all, "But I won't go away to listen," he tells them, "It's not polite to leave guests, Auntie B says so."

"Do you stay with Auntie B a lot?" Serena wonders.

And Blair sighs, "Serena."

But the blonde doesn't take her eyes off the little boy. He shakes his head, "Nope—this is the longest time ever." He tells her very seriously. "It's 'cause Dad had to work and Mommy had to work too and they were far, so we stayed here… but most times we're home and Mommy is home and Dad too."

"Are you happy?" Serena presses.

And it's Nate who sighs now, "Serena…" he whispers.

Sunny nods vigorously, "Uh-huh, sure. Well, unless Gracie's being mean… that doesn't make me happy," his eyes go wide then, "And you saw Annie! Annie tells me stories!"

"Yes, we saw…" Chuck says and then sighs. "So now what are we supposed to do?"

"Sleep," Blair replies. "I'd like to sleep."

Nate nods, "Or just relax…" his gaze goes to Serena, "How about you?"

Serena licks her lips and pulls her gaze from Sunny; but she doesn't look at the rest of them. She looks to the carpet.

"Do you wanna sleep here!?" Sunny asks brightly and then promptly begins to collect crayons, "It's a big bed! We can share! Sometimes Mommy and Daddy let me share with them...!"

Blair laughs a little nervously as she watches the boy collect things off his bed in preparation for sharing. The bed was big—if you were four years old. Even if you were almost five.

However, it looks to be about a full size… which could not possibly accommodate them all without some heavy duty… snuggling.

"Sunny, sweetie…" she begins.

And then Serena interrupts her, "Thanks, Sunny," she says sweetly, walking towards him, already kicking off her shoes.

He nods excitedly, "One time Annie and Gracie and me all shared too!" He tells them as he tosses the handful of crayons off the bed along with the coloring book. "Annie was visiting at home and Gracie was being nice and we watched a movie! And Mommy tucked us in! And Daddy turned off the lights! And then he and Liam came and scared us like monsters!" He giggles at the memory and they smile at him, because it does sound rather amusing—untroubled.

"S…" Blair says, "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I'm tired," she says, sitting on the bed; and Blair must admit, she looks it. Eyes red-rimmed and voice a little hoarse, "And I—I don't want… to see anymore… I just… no more, okay? Not—not today."

It's a plea, not just for Blair for the boys too. And not one of them is about to deny it to her.

A beat passes and then Blair nods. "Sunny, do you… is someone going to come and… tuck you in?" Blair wonders, "Because that might a little… awkward…" she says looking at the others.

Sunny giggles, "Oh I'm tucked in already. I'm supposed to be asleep… s'why my door's shut…" he frowns at them a little, "It's late ya know…"

And they can't help it. They laugh. Because he's just so… _sincere_— and they notice then that the curtains are pulled across his windows and there's a lamp on that must serve as a nightlight and his coverlet is indeed pulled back like it had been arranged for a night's sleep.

Serena's still smiling, the closest to him, when she forgets and reaches out to pull him into a hug and quite literally falls through him.

"Augh!" She shrieks, stumbling through him and then yanking herself upright.

And Sunny laughs again; delighted, "That is _so _cool!" He repeats and claps his hands as he moves to sit on his knees. The bunny clutched between his elbows and ribcage.

Blair sighs; and then leans into Chuck for support as she slips her shoes off and approaches the bed. "I cannot believe I'm about to sleep in my _clothes." _

"Least of our issues, B," Serena tells her wryly; because Sunny's softened her edges, rubbed away at her anger, and she's looking more like herself, more like the girl that laughs off possibly fake marriages and arrests. She's sitting at the top of the bed, her back resting against headboard, her legs stretched out in front of her.

Blair sighs as she sits on Sunny's other side and turns towards him. "Okay, Sunny. You've been such a good helper—"

"Oh I know!" He cut in, nodding and smiling as he turns to her.

"Right, so to help some more, we need you to sleep… well away from us, okay? We'll all sleep over here and you sleep over there on that end, down there. So that we don't… sleep through you, you understand?"

He looks to the foot of the bed and then back at her, "But it's so cool!" He tells her, "When you go _through _me!" He giggles.

"Right, sure," she says with a bite of sarcasm as she nods, "Cool… creepy… to each his own, I suppose, but for tonight if you could—"

"Auntie B says that! _To each his own!_" Sunny cuts in, "It means not everybody likes the same stuff!"

"Right," Chuck says as he goes to sit beside Blair, "So you can do that for us? Sleep down there…" he asks, also taking off his shoes and beginning to shrug out of his vest.

Sunny sighs. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"And you have your bunny," Nate says, slowly approaching the bed. He didn't fit on the side Blair and Chuck were occupying. He would have to sit beside Serena; which would put the girls in the middle and he and Chuck on the outsides.

But he didn't sit. His argument with the blonde was still too fresh on his mind and he wasn't certain he'd be welcome just then.

"Oh!" The little boy nods, silky blonde wisps of hair moving across his forehead, "This is Benny!" He tells them, showing them the ragged pink bunny. He had black button eyes and a pink silk nose and had quite obviously seen better days. "Benny the Bunny!" He elaborates.

Serena laughs a little, "He's precious."

Sunny nods again, as if to say _duh. _

And then he moves to get off the bed. "I'm gonna turn the light off, okay? But Mommy turned the lamp on a'fore and I like to leave it, okay? Because the light, it has shapes on it…"

And he flicks the light off then and they see what he means. The lamp-shade had cut outs of sail boats and dolphins and waves that dispersed across the walls and ceiling of the room.

"Oh that's cool, Sunny!" Serena exclaims enthusiastically, because she really does love it. The ceiling of Sunny's room is painted a warm blue and in the dimness and with the shapes, it really does wonderful.

Sunny giggles and runs back to the bed. Chuck and Blair are already lying back on it, her back pressed to him, his arm around her waist.

The little boy climbs onto the bed, but stays at the end of it as he'd been asked to. "You don't want to sleep, N?" He wonders as he lies down across the width of the bed, little body curling around the bunny.

Nate licks his lips, "Right…" he says softly, "Yeah, in a minute…" and then he moves, but towards Sunny. He carefully touches the blankets around the little boy and slowly pulls them up around the child until they're covering him and the bunny to his chin.

Sunny smiles and closes his eyes, "G'night…"

"Good night, Sunny." Nate tells him.

"Thank you for your assistance," Chuck calls out.

Sunny giggles, but doesn't respond. Nate stands by the bed and watches him. The room is still, quiet and peaceful, and they can all agree that Chuck's best idea of the day was to lead them to Sunny's room.

Serena's breath is the only sound before her voice fills the stillness, hushed and soft and apologetic, "Come to bed, Nate," she tells, "We all need to sleep…"

And he looks up from the little boy, falling asleep even as they speak, and to where she has shifted over towards Blair, to allow room for him.

It's a tight fit when he lies down beside her. She's pressed against his chest in the same way Blair is pressed against Chuck's. The girls are huddled together at the middle so the boys don't fall of the edge and all four of them have curled their legs behind them, in an intertwining feast of limbs, to avoid overlapping _into _Sunny.

They're quiet for awhile then, trying not to shift too much. Blair turns away from Serena and into Chuck and he cuddles her closer and relaxes against her.

Time slips away with the faint sounds footsteps in the hall and the dimness of voices in conversation; and Nate is slipping into sleep when Serena turns around towards him, presses herself closer.

"I don't really want you to stop believing me, okay? Ever."

And he blinks, tries to wake up just a little more and focus on what she's saying, knows it's about earlier and how mad she was; but he's hazy at the edges and she sounds so very bothered by it that all he can do is lean his head down closer to hers until their foreheads are touching and whisper, "Okay," because he wants her to stop worrying.

She nods against him; then tucks her face under his and just relaxes in his hold. A moment passes and she breathes a quiet, "Thanks, Natie," into his ear.

And he smiles, closing his eyes again.

And they sleep.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: As always thank you for the wonderful reviews and comments, I appreciate every single one. Just a quick note that CB is featured very heavily in this story, but it is primarily an NS fic. So in that vein, this chapter is mostly NS.

Thank you for reading. :)

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* * *

At the time, it had seemed like a good idea— though to be honest; Serena had been hazy with sleep, so there was a chance that it had never been a good idea to begin with. She'd been awake and tucked under Nate's chin with Blair's back to her own and Chuck quite adorably _snuggling _her best friend in his arms beyond her.

She'd been lying on Nate's arm, his other arm slung over her shoulders, his face in her hair; their legs intertwined and curled together, and she knew— she couldn't sit up and get out without awaking someone.

And so somehow, rolling over Nate and to the floor had seemed to be the best option.

Except she'd forgotten to calculate that if Nate's face was pressed into her hair there was a good possibility that he _lying on her hair— _which, it turned out, he was. Which then lead to her gasp of pain mid-way through her roll over him, as she abruptly froze _on top of him _because she couldn't move anymore without yanking hair out of her head.

So here she was; a figment of a four-(almost-five)-year-olds imagination or a ghost from the past in the early morning, very early if the pale sunlight just barely slipping past the curtains of the room was any indication, her head angled awkwardly towards a very asleep Nate as she lay atop him.

"Oh crap," she mutters softly when she tries to tug herself free one more time and only succeeds in making Nate shift, so that his arm comes up to fall across her back. She shoots a quick look over at Chuck and Blair, but they don't move.

They're quite possibly the most adorable thing she's seen in awhile, the way they're curled into each other and huddled together— but she's a tiny bit too uncomfortable to really appreciate it.

She wriggles a little, trying to slide back down onto the mattress, but with his arm around her now, and her hair still trapped, it's doubly hard.

She takes a deep breath, tenses as she prepares to tug her hair harder, when he shifts again.

She whispers a surprised, _"Oh," _as he turns on his side a tiny bit, tilting her with him and freeing her hair a bit more.

And then he's blinking sleepy blue eyes open at her; and she holds completely still as he focuses on her, watches as a slow smile spreads across his face and the arm he has around her back, lifts to bring a hand up to his face. He rubs at his eyes and his hair and then promptly drops the arm back around her as he looks at her through heavy-lidded eyes— and she thinks maybe he edges out Chuck and Blair for most adorable.

"Hey," he says quietly. She can feel the low rumble of voice in his chest.

And she laughs then, softly of course, but just laughs and relaxes on top of him. Doesn't really know why she's laughing and relaxing, except that it's Nate and he's grinning at her and that seems good enough.

She lets her head tilt down in the direction of where her hair is pinned and that brings her face to his shoulder— and that's okay too. "Hey," she responds breathily.

He tilts his head to one side so he can look into her face and arcs an eyebrow at her. She smiles, because her hair's free now that he's moved, but she doesn't stir. So he drops his head back down on the pillow and when his hand starts fiddling with the strands of her hair, tugging at them teasingly, she pokes him the side.

He laughs.

And Serena _shushes_ him quietly, a finger to her lips, before motioning to the rest of the bed. He lifts his head and peers to the foot of it, to see a little bundle swaddled among the sheets, just a pink bunny ear and a thatch of blonde hair visible.

And then he looks over Serena at Chuck and Blair and he grins so wide that it's Serena who laughs this time.

"We need a camera…" he says delightedly, voice soft.

Serena giggles some more. "They would _kill _us."

"It'd be _worth _it." He responds enthusiastically.

And she laughs harder, turns her face into his chest to muffle the sound; and for just that moment, while he's laughing too, she thinks maybe he's right and everything will turn out okay after all…

She lifts her head and their blue eyes meet; both bright with mirth and without having to say a word or make a single motion they both start to slide towards the edge of the bed. They stumble out of it in a tangle of sheets and arms; grateful for the thick carpeting that mutes the thudding sound of their legs as they slipped to the floor.

They throw the sheets back onto the bed, untangling the soft fabric from themselves, and stagger to their feet; leaning into each other as they lurch towards the door, holding their breaths to keep from laughing too hard, too loudly. And when they finally slip out into the hallway and shut the door behind them, it all comes out in big, gulping breaths— bright laughter that makes them weak at the knees and has them sliding down the wall to the floor, side-by-side, shoulders shaking with merriment.

"They _snuggle," _Nate gasps, his head falling to her shoulder.

And Serena nods, still laughing.

They sit like that, laughing together, until they're both breathless and exhausted all over again and then Nate lifts his head from her shoulder and grins at her, "Good Morning."

She rolls her eyes and pushes up from the wall suddenly, whirling around to face him and extending her hand, "Come on."

He takes her hand and stands. "Where?"

She shrugs, "I don't know… around, let's take a walk."

Nate glances at the door, "We're not supposed to—"

"New day, new rules, Nate," she says brightly and is already walking down the hallway.

He watches her walk for a moment and then shakes his head and moves to follow her. "So you're better today then?" He asks softly as they walk down the hallway, "_Feeling_ better, I mean…?"

"Hm," she turns around and walks backwards, bringing two fingers to her chin as she makes a show of considering it, "Feeling less hysterical so far, yes; but it's still early."

He laughs; but he knows she's completely serious.

She turns back around, leads him past the staircase though, down the other side of the hallway, "Serena… what are we—?" he questions.

"Just looking around, Nate!" She calls back from ahead of him and he shakes his head fondly at her back, follows her trail of blonde hair.

The hallways are wide and carpeted and lined with photos of… them… of all of them, the kids and the adults; so they stop to stare and coo a few times. And he comes up behind her and she leans back to look into his face and they admire photographs of events that might never come be.

When they find another staircase they descend it together without hesitation, steps quick; _don't have to be quiet _she reminds him gleefully and he nods, grinning, as they race downstairs.

It leads them to the kitchen where they both come to wavering halt.

The giddy, silly mood fades at the sight of the older Serena, sitting at the counter with an untouched glass of juice in front of her. Her hair is loose around her shoulders just the way the younger Serena's is and she's wearing a thin robe over what look to be a pink tank top and matching shorts. Her gaze is fastened onto the glass with an odd focus that makes air the air around her seem heavy.

But it's not that Serena that concerns Nate. He shifts his gaze to his. "Maybe we should—"

She shakes her head. "No, it's okay… I want to see."

He sighs, touches her arm, "Yeah, but you… got really upset yesterday… so maybe—"

"It's a new day," she repeats and moves towards the older Serena.

"Yeah," Nate acknowledges following her, "But you… _yelled_."

She sends him a look, "You yelled back."

"You yelled first."

"Okay, fine. _Sorry_," she relents.

And he shakes his head as they move to stand in front of the other Serena, "That's not what I mean…" he tells her softly, trailing off. He knows she knows that's not why he's bringing it up.

She sighs. "I know it's not," she says a beat later, "But this is just something that I need to—"

Her older self stands then, moves to the cross the kitchen and Serena stops speaking; moves to follow the older woman without notice because she knows Nate's going to come with her.

Nate sighs, looks after them for a moment and then he follows.

There's another door in the kitchen, the backdoor they presume; and it leads to the side of the house, the area with the pool house and the pool and this is where the older Serena goes.

He follows both Serena's out to the poolside. His Serena is standing beside it, watching as the older drops her robe onto the platform, revealing her shorts and tank top more clearly, both pink, and then she sits down, immersing her legs into the water and splashing a little.

Her back is to the pool house, the house off to the one side of her, and her gaze fixed across the width of the pool.

He stares at her, looks at his Serena and shrugs. She looks back at him and returns the shrugs. They don't discuss it, don't need to even motion each other for it—they both just sit down on the tile too, cross their legs under them and face each other; Nate with a clear view of the older Serena, and the younger with a clear view of the house.

"She looks sad," Nate says when they're settled, his eyes on the older woman as she stares into the water.

And Serena nods once. "Good."

"Serena!" He reprimands, gaze moving from the older to the younger.

"What?!" She says and gives him a half-grin, "She _should _look sad, Nate. Stop being such a softie."

He shakes his head, smiles a little, "I'm not. I'm just saying… she's not so bad."

Serena's look is skeptical.

And Nate laughs then. "I can't believe we're arguing about your probably _fictional _future self."

She shrugs, smiling. "I get that you want to like her 'cause you like me, which is _totally _understandably," she teases, "But she's a _mess." _

"Everybody's a mess. Some people just hide it better."

Serena snorts. "I should learn to do that."

"No," he says instantly, frowning at her a little, "It's worse if you hide it. You should never hide."

He says it intensely; like he's talking about more than just her problems, like he means all of her and everything she thinks and wants—and maybe he does.

She looks away for a moment, lets her gaze flit out over to the lawn, to the quiet house. "We forgot to check what time it was…" she says after a moment.

Nate's quiet. She looks over to him and he's watching, just like she knew he would be. He's always watched her a lot.

"You hungry?" He wonders.

She shrugs, "Not really… kinda weird actually… you?"

"Nope. Maybe since we're not really here and all…"

She laughs a little, "Where do you think we are, Nate?"

"Who knows…" he says shrugging and smiling as he adds, "Unconscious, comatose, dead?"

She leans forward and punches him in the shoulder, "Mister Positivity!" She exclaims.

And he laughs, "Says _we're-cursed _girl!" And he pitches his voice high at a pitch meant to mock.

Her mouth drops open and she laughs, "Hey! That's a good possibility!"She argues.

"Uh-huh… _sure— _if we were _wizards!_" He says, still laughing softly; and in the midst of her giggling he adds, "This is nice," in a tone of such complete sincerity it takes her off guard.

She blinks. "Nice?"

"Yeah, I haven't you seen you a lot this summer."

"Nate… we're like… lost in a future realm of reality or something…"

"Well, sure. But right now we're sitting outside in the sun and talking… and it's _nice_."

She huffs; but she can't stop smiling and she can't disagree.

"Yeah, it is," she says finally and then tilts her head to one side, "How are you doing with all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's your future too… me, well, _her…" _she says and motions to the older Serena, still just sitting quietly, lost in her thoughts. "And you haven't said anything about it except to defend me…"

He stares at her.

"You can tell me what you think, you know."

"I know…"

"Well…? I mean there's a lot… there's _her," _again she motions to her older self, "And there's Sunny and there's… Annie… and there's… Vanessa…"

Nate starts a little, "Sunny's great! And Annie too!" He says quickly, "Both of them are amazing…" he adds emphatically.

"And… sure," he continues shrugging a little as he ducks his head a bit, eyes dropping for a moment from her face, "I mean, I'm with Vanessa at some point, and that's… you know… I like her… so yeah— I probably… could marry her," he nods slightly after saying this, and they're both silent for a moment.

Then he lifts his eyes to her and says simply, "And then I marry you."

They stare at each other in silence. The five words lying between them—encapsulating so much of what they do, how they work— everything, everyone else first, but them in the end. It's as a silent an agreement as dropping down onto the tile, as getting up to the leave the room—no words or motions necessary, something they just know.

"And then you marry me." She says the words softly.

He straightens then, and a smile starts to spread across his face; he opens his mouth to speak when the there's creaking, a shuffling of steps, and panting.

The older Serena startles, turns around towards the pool. Nate's gaze goes beyond his Serena and she shifts to look as well.

Annie's standing by the open door of the pool house, dark hair loose around her face and Moonie's collar gripped in one hand, while the other rubs at her face.

"Annie…" the older Serena says, lifting her legs from the water.

The girl blinks, frowns a little, "S?"

"Honey, what are you doing up so early? It's not even seven yet…"

The girl nods, eyes closing a little, "Gotta… let him… Moonie out..." she says sleepily. And the dog sits then as if to make his presence known.

The woman laughs a little and stands from the platform, walks barefoot, they notice, across the grass and to the girl. "I'll watch him, go on back to sleep…"

"Yeah?" Annie asks, but her head tilts forward and they can see she's already half-asleep on her feet.

Serena smoothes the girl's hair with one hand, leans down and takes Moonie's collar with the other. "Yeah… go on…" she says, tugging the dog up and away from the girl.

Annie nods, "Cool…" and disappears inside, shutting the door behind her.

The older Serena laughs a little, and pats the dog on the head, "Come on Moonie, let's fertilize Chuck's yard," she says with a little spite in her voice.

Nate laughs and looks at his Serena, "See! She's nice…" he says and points at the other Serena as she leads Moonie around to a grassy area.

"I don't doubt she's nice, Nate. I just…" Serena sighs, "I thought I'd be… better, you know?"

"Everybody thinks they'll be better, Serena, but then, like… life happens."

She stares at him; he stares back, daring her to argue. And she rolls her eyes, can't really argue that _life happens, _and huffs at him, "When did you get so smart?"

"I've always been this smart, you just forgot 'cause you started hanging out with other people."

She squeaks, outraged, "I did not!"

"Did too!"

Moonie barks then, comes racing away from the spot Serena had led him to; runs _straight through them_ and Serena's playful squeak turns into an actual shriek even as Nate jumps up an inch from the tile.

They whirl in the direction Moonie has run off to; looking for what's caused its reaction.

And find the dog with its front paws on Nate's chest—the older one.

"Oh man," the younger Nate sighs.

Both Serena's tense, but it's the older one that moves forward, closer, eyes on the man that's joined her outside.

He's rubbing the dogs head, murmuring something quiet to him; and then Moonie's on all fours again and Nate's bending down to clip a leash to his collar.

When he looks up, Serena is a four feet away from him. Bare-feet on the tile, legs wet, hair loose, dressed in pink and looking younger than any mother of three has a right to look.

"Hey," she says quietly, eyeing him warily.

He straightens, nods at her, "Hey."

They don't smile at each other; just continue to watch one another. And the younger Nate reaches over and touches Serena's wrist with his fingers, "Let's go… you don't have to watch this… it doesn't have to be this way, okay?" He tells her gently, "This is just… an illusion..."

She pulls her gaze from the silent couple and meets his blue stare. "But it _could _be this way—and we, _I_, have to know…"

He sighs, nods a little and leans back again.

"I was… watching him…" the older Serena says tentatively into the silence, "For Annie… she was—it's early so I… told her to go back to bed…"

Her husband nods. "I'm taking him for a run with me." And he looks ready for a run, jogging pants and sneakers, old t-shirt and messy hair.

"Right…" she responds.

He nods. Moonie sits beside him, panting. "You're up early…" he says after a beat.

"Couldn't sleep," she admits.

He doesn't nod. "You talk to Gracie last night?"

"Yeah," she says, "Sort of…"

"Sort of not." Nate responds and it's there again, the bite in his voice.

"If you know then don't ask," she tells him and there's a touch of bite in her voice too.

"You need to talk to her; singing and jumping on the bed don't cut it."

"Don't tell me what _cuts it, _Nate. I know how to handle my daughter!"

"Ah right, _your _daughter." He snaps.

And she deflates the burst of anger gone. "You know that's not what I meant."

He shakes his head, pulls on the dog's leash as he takes a step away from her, "I have no idea what you _mean _anymore, Serena."

"Nate…"

She says his name softly, shyly almost; but he doesn't stop. Turns around and starts walking away and they can see panic flash across her face.

"Nate!" She calls more forcefully, taking a step after him.

He pause then, pulls Moonie to a stop, and looks over his shoulder. "What, Serena?" And his voice is low, weary.

"I…" she licks her lips, takes another step towards him; and they can see her draw in a deep breath, see her forcing herself to be brave. "I don't want— a divorce," she confesses.

And that has him turning back around. "You… _what_?"

She nods. "I don't… want to get a divorce."

He stares at her.

"I've never wanted that," she continues to tell him.

And he continues to stare.

"Never will…" she adds.

The entire yard is completely silent; even Moonie has ceased to pant into the morning air.

And then Nate laughs, a breathy utterly humorless sound that makes them all cringe. He shakes his head at her, eyes a little wide as he gapes, "You…" he says disbelievingly, "_Don't want a divorce…" _he echoes.

"No." Serena answers, even though she knows it's not a question.

Nate blinks, free hand coming up in a somewhat helpless gesture; and then yanks on Moonie's leash and turns around.

And he leaves.

Leaves.

Without another word to her; he takes the dog and stalks out of the yard.

The older Serena, along with the two of them, stare after him in complete shock. Because you don't just… _leave _when someone says that to you…

Nate looks at his Serena after a moment and shrugs, says a little sheepishly, "I get tongue tied sometimes…"

It surprises a tiny laugh out of her and she's about to speak when the older Serena quite suddenly, cries, "AUGH," into the silent yard and stomps her foot furiously before taking off like a hornet towards the house.

"Uh-oh," Nate says watching her go.

Seconds later his Serena is grabbing his hand and hauling him to his feet. "Come on…!" She shouts.

"Serena!" He tries as they run after her older self, who is moving alarmingly quickly, "Maybe we should think about this…!"

But they don't think about it.

They follow older Serena into the kitchen and around through the dining room, den, living room, and toward the main staircase at a frantic pace.

"Do you think this is a good idea!?" Nate calls.

She has him by the hand and is leading him after her future self with nary a word to him, but at that, she responds with, "Probably not!"

And he nods as they turn into the upstairs hallways, "Didn't think so."

The older Serena has stopped outside Blair and Chuck's door and there's a cell phone in her hand. She tapping her foot impatiently, eyes on the door and then something flickers in her gaze and she nods, says, "Good, you're asleep," before reaching out and pushing the door open.

They both gasp.

"Oh my god!" Serena cries, pointing with the hand Nate isn't holding at the door.

He nods. "But—but—it was _closed!" _Nate says.

They stare at each other; and then Serena pulls Nate into the room.

"Serena, this is a _bad _idea—" he starts but doesn't finish the warning, because the older Serena is pacing in front of Chuck and Blair's bed, hands waving in the air, one clutching her phone, as her hair bounces around her shoulders and her blue eyes blaze— and he realizes quite suddenly that she's _furious._

"… and he _walked away, _Blair!" She's shouting, "Just _walked _away! Didn't even _say _anything to me!"

Blair for her part, is very slowly pulling an eye mask from her face and blinking bewilderedly at her best friend. There's a cell phone still in her hand and she can't quite seem to focus her gaze on the buzzing blonde in front of her.

"Serena?"

"You _told _me to tell him I didn't want a divorce, Blair! And I _did!" _Serena rants, "And he doesn't _say _anything! He _walks away! _So NOW what? Huh?"

Blair's trying to sit up, her hair is carefully coifed and pinned up and she's lying with Chuck's arm around her stomach and nearly submerged in pillows; but she's trying to get up so she can _glare _at her sister in better fashion. "It can't be even eight o'clock yet, Serena… on a Saturday… in the Hamptons…"

"Just _left! _And he took the dog! I was _watching _the dog, Blair!"

Chuck groans then, lifts his head in the direction of the voice, blinks blearily at his sister before turning to his wife, "Why is my sister in our bedroom?"

Blair groans slides back into the covers, "I don't know…" she moans pitifully.

"Is she _coming _to bed?"

"NO, I'm not coming to bed, Chuck!" Serena snaps, "I'm trying to figure out what to do now that I've probably made things _worse _thanks to Blair's _advice. _And you know what I don't _care! _He _left! _After I—_"_

Chuck turns his head towards her and frowns, like she's a sort of fly marring his oceanic view, "Come to bed or leave the room, our alarm is set for eight o'clock."

Serena glares at him for a beat and then turns on the heal of her foot and strides out of the room. They both jump out of her way and then follow quickly as she slams the door behind her.

"I think we know where Gracie gets her temper," Nate says, a little frightened as he stares at the older Serena. She's pacing the hallway now, taking deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.

Serena frowns at her older self, "I don't usually get like that…" she sends Nate a sidelong glance, "I think you pushed a button. I think she's... scared, really, really scared..."

Nate's quiet for a moment, watching the older woman, and then nudges his Serena's shoulder gently, smiles a little at her, "Admit it, I get you hot and bothered."

Serena startles at the comment, pulls her gaze from her counterpart; and then rolls her eyes at him; laughs, "Looks more like irrationally homicidal…"

He squeezes her hand and she jumps, looks down at their intertwined fingers like she'd forgotten they were holding hands at all.

She stares down at their joined limbs for a moment and when she lifts her gaze to his; it's a touch more serious than a moment ago, but not nearly as despairing the day before.

The older Serena's pace slow suddenly. And they turn to look at her. The anger's gone from her expression. In fact everything is, her face is curiously blank as she starts walking down the hallway. And a moment later they start after her; their hands still clasped.

The woman walks to Sunny's door, stares at it for a moment and then walks inside slowly, so as not to wake him.

Nate and Serena exchange quick glances.

Chuck and Blair are still snuggled together, still asleep, and the two of them grimace at each other, because it becomes quite obvious, when the older Serena stands over her son and _tisks _at his placement on his bed, that she's going to move him. Up to where the two brunettes are sleeping.

"You do it," Nate says to her.

"No way, _you_."

"Your brother and best friend."

"_Your _best friend and ex girl friend!"

"Serena," he says and blinks at her, "Come on… they'll yell at me."

And there's a pull to his bottom lip that's _almost _a pout. She sighs. The older Serena is lifting Sunny into her arms, blanket and bunny, included.

Serena moves quickly to Chuck and Blair, makes Nate stand next to her as she uses her free hand to shove at Chuck, "Wake up! Guys! Wake up! You're about to be sat _through_!"

He starts under her touch and in reaction, Blair does too. They blink up at her in unison, confusion on their faces, and it's like watching a bucket of ice water fall over them when they realize exactly _how _they were sleeping and just _who _is watching them and just _what _is about to happen.

It's the fastest and clumsiest the two brunettes have ever gotten up from a bed; and it takes Nate's quick reflexes to keep them both from tripping to the ground.

"What is—"

"What just—"

They both go to speak when they're standing facing the blondes, but Nate and Serena simultaneously point behind them, to where the older Serena is now settling against headboard with Sunny in her arms.

Blair blinks, rubs at her face, "What is she doing—?"

Chuck's doing the same, but watching them, not the older Serena, "Why are the two of you—?"

But they both fall silent as Sunny stirs in his mother's hold, "Mommy…?" He asks, blinking sleepy, blue eyes at her.

And she smiles at him, touches her forehead to his, "Hm, yes, baby… let Mommy cuddle you for a little while okay…" she says very softly; and the blank expression is gone then. It's nothing, but love there now.

He nods, presses his face into her chest, "m'kay… song though…" he mutters, closing his eyes.

And she laughs a little, "A song, huh?"

Sunny nods again, mumbles sweetly, "Mine, kay..."

And Serena laughs, the sound loving. "Your song it is…" she breathes.

And then whispers very gently against his ear, "_You are my sunshine… my only sunshine… you make me happy… when sky's are gray…_" she rocks him a little then, rubs a hand through his silky hair, "_You'll never know dear… how much I love you…_" the song breaks a little as her voice wobbles, but Sunny's sound asleep by now and she lowers her face to his, presses a kiss on his forehead, "_So please don't take… my sunshine away…_"

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* * *


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: As always, thank you for the reviews and comments! This chapter is a bit of lull in the action, just getting our four back into the flow of things after their night of sleep.

I hope you enjoy.

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*******

* * *

"_What_ is going on?" Blair snaps when the silence after the song's end has spanned several minutes.

There had been expectation of more from the four of them as they watched mother and son; perhaps another song, perhaps tears— but neither came. The older Serena did not sing and she did not cry, she simply held her younger child in her arms, his face pressed into her chest, and rocked him very slowly; her gaze turned inwards in thought.

"Ssh!" Serena whispers at the other girl, "_Sunny _can hear us," she reminds her heatedly, motioning towards the sleeping little boy.

The brunette frowns, but doesn't speak again. Instead she points towards the door with a decisive gesture.

And they all quietly exit the child's bedroom.

In the hall, Blair glares at Serena and Nate.

But it's Chuck who speaks from beside her, "Precisely what is going on here?" he wonders smoothly, eyeing them both.

Nate and Serena exchange a quick look.

And then Nate shrugs, offers the two brunettes a wan smile, "We… went for a walk…" he admits.

"Alone!?" Blair shrieks.

"Well no, B, _together_," Serena points out motioning between herself and Nate.

"Our agreement was to stay together," Chuck replies evenly and he's looking at them with heavy disapproval.

Nate shuffles his feet, cuts his eyes to Serena, "We just wanted to look around—we came right back."

Blair rolls her eyes and huffs. "Oh, I _doubt _that."

"Oh, stop it," Serena returns; a touch of a smirk on her lips. "It was _my_ idea," she tells the other girl, "And _nothing_ happened— we're all still here…"

Blair opens her mouth to speak, but Serena lifts a hand to indicate she hasn't finished, "_Aaand…_" she says, drawing the word out, "You two were _asleep… _and we can _see _how _delightful _you are when awoken early— imagine if it'd been an hour earlier!"

"An hour!" Blair gasps.

"Did you happen to find a way _out _of here on your little walk?" Chuck asks as he rubs at his hair and sighs.

He looks disgruntled, and still a little sleepy, they both do— him and Blair; and for some reason this makes Serena's lips twitch upwards. She sneaks a look at Nate and he's doing the same to her, their gazes clash unexpectedly, and it's going to happen, they can both tell— and they just can't avoid it.

They laugh.

And the words slip out before Serena can stop them, "You two are so _adorable!"_ She coos and Nate grins.

Chuck and Blair had been doing okay while it wasn't mentioned, while they didn't think of it— focusing first, on the older Serena and then their best friends' apparent disregard for safety measures installed to keep anyone from being abandoned in what was quite _obviously_ an alternate dimension— but it came rushing up to them then.

The fact that Serena Van der Woodsen has seen _cuddling. _

And they would _never _live it down.

Chuck frowns a bit at the blonde. But it's Blair who scowls, flushing a little, as she says, "Serena," darkly.

But Serena waves her hands, still giggling, "No, no! It's _fine. _There's not _need _to be embarrassed! Is there Nate?" She says and nudges him beside her.

He shakes his head, "Definitely not," he agrees, "I bet a_ lot _of people cuddle!"

"Exactly!" Serena agrees, "Plenty of people can be that _cute." _

_"Yeah,_" Nate says with emphasis, "Well not us," he says grinning and motioning between him and Serena, "We could never that cute..."

"Oh, no," Serena continues, but she's giggling a little too hard, tilting into Nate, "We could never be that _cuddly." _

"The bed was _this _big!" Blair cries, widening her hands a bit. "We were saving space…"

"You were welcome to join us, sis, and be _cute_ and _cuddly _with us," Chuck drawls, smirking at her, "If you wanted to…"

Serena's giggle tapers off into an eye-roll and she straightens, while Blair jabs Chuck in the stomach and snaps, "Don't encourage her!"

Nate laughs, shakes his head at them.

And it's ridiculously normal to stand there in the hallway and bicker; as if they weren't apparitions haunting their future forms and their children with no inkling on how they arrived there or how to get back.

"Well…" Blair huffs after a moment, taking a deep breath and smoothing her hands down the front of her dress, "What was _that _about then? What's going on?" She asks motioning to the closed door of Sunny's room, voice gaining back it's equilibrium.

"Yes," Chuck says a touch sharply, eyes raking over them keenly, "What have you two been doing?" He wonders, and there's a faint smirk on lips, an oddly knowing look in his gaze.

Serena and Nate both jump a little, startled at the wording of the question.

And then Nate frowns at him, "We told you, we went for a walk."

"And _she_," Serena says, tapping her fingers on the closed door lightly, "Saw Nate… well, the older one… and they had a—?" she looks to her Nate, "Was that an argument?"

He considers, "Not really… they just…"

"She told him she didn't want the divorce and then he left and then she freaked out," Serena picks up when Nate trails off. "And then she came in here…" she adds after a moment, a very small glance at Nate.

He nods; returns the tiny glance. They don't need to mention the part about waking the older Chuck and Blair up-- that'll be their secret.

Blair eyes them both for a moment, like she can _sense _there's more; but she settles for fastening her brown eyes on Serena, "You're chipper this morning," she comments, voice even and almost neutral.

Almost, except for one thread of questioning concern.

It's Nate who laughs a little at the question and says, "New day," before Serena can respond.

And she laughs, a bit loudly because he's surprised her with his echo of her words, but no less delighted for it.

She looks at Blair and Chuck a moment later, with a grin on her face. "New day," she repeats.

And then she and Nate are both smiling at the slightly bewildered couple in front of them with nothing, but smug amusement on their faces reminiscent of the time they'd tried to explain to the pair how a jelly bean could taste purple.

The door opens then, before any of them could speak, and the older Serena comes through it.

She looks more haggard today than she had the day before; even than she had an hour earlier, like she was just barely holding it together suddenly. And she manages to walk right through Blair as she turns down the hallway.

The brunette squeaks, jumping to the side. "Oh I _hate _that," she grumbles and all three of them nod in agreement. It's a chilling sensation and brings into startling clarity just precisely how _wrong _their presence here is.

"We should see where she's off to then," Chuck says quietly, gaze following the older woman, but he doesn't sound too eager about the prospect.

They'd been swept up in the adrenaline, the panic, yesterday; focused on the impossibility and novelty of it all. Learning and absorbing so much it was hard to think just one thought alone, so thinking had to cease.

It was different today— a _new_ day, certainly— but also slower somehow; the house around them was quieter than it had been in all the time they had seen it. No running children or frustrated adults yet, just a quiet woman walking slowly down the hallway… and the four them, invisible… and lost.

"Yes," Blair says carefully, "Let's go…"

They follow her down to the other of the hallway and watch as she opens a door to what is presumably her room.

"You two stay here," Blair commands of the boys.

Nate arcs an eyebrow, teases, "That's splitting up, Bla—"

She silences him with a look as she Serena follow the blondes older self into the bedroom.

He shakes his head at the closed door and shifts his eyes to Chuck. Chuck who's watching him closely and doesn't look so sleepy anymore; though the rumpled and un-tucked shirt, do serve to give the other boy a rather disheveled appearance. There are benefits to wearing t-shirts and shorts all summer long, Nate thinks, because he certainly doesn't look any more rumpled then usual.

"So tell me," Chuck says, "The two of you…" he motions towards the closed door, "You're… alright?"

Nate blinks, confusion flickering over his face, "Me and Blair?" He squawks, looking alarmed.

Chuck rolls his eyes, "No, Nathaniel. You and _Serena." _

"Oh…!" Nate nods, understand washing over his face, "Yeah, sure…" he tilts head to one side, "Why wouldn't we be?"

"I thought perhaps the dissolution of your future marriage might serve to dampen your moods."

Nate made a face at him, "Well, when you put it that way…?"

"What other way is there to put it?" Chuck asks, truly curious; eyes fixed on his sort-of-best-friend.

"It's not necessarily the _dissolution _of their marriage, you know…"

"It's not?"

"Not really, they could work it out. And it's kinda, a little bit, cool, don't you think? To see where we'll all be… I mean, look around…" he shrugs a little, "We're all still friends… like a _family," _he says with emphasis, "And Serena and I have problems, but we're _married _too… I mean, doesn't it make you happy to see yourself married to Blair?"

Chuck looks a little startled at the questions.

"I mean, I want to get home—'cause this is freaky," Nate amends quickly, "I'm not saying I don't! I just mean that—"

The door opens then and the older Serena emerges, dressed in a simple, pale blue cotton dress that's seen better days; it's sleeveless with a rounded neckline, tapered a bit just below her bust, and ends just above her knee. She's wearing white strappy sandals, has pulled her hair back into a pony-tale and applied a fresh coat of pink lip gloss.

The girls come rushing out behind her.

"We can't open doors here," Blair informs them with a sigh, watching as the older Serena walks to the staircase.

"We tried to open it after she closed it and couldn't," Serena continues.

"Wonderful," Chuck mutters; moving after the older woman. "We need to figure out what this is and how to undo today," he says, voicing the thought they're all having.

There are three silent nods at his words and all four of them move quietly behind the older Serena. There's no question that they're following her, there's really nothing more to do.

"You know," Nate says as they follow the woman down to the living room, "If you walk past the steps that way and go around, there're more stairs that take you to the kitchen…"

"Fascinating, Nathaniel."

Nate laughs, leans to the side and into Serena who is walking beside him, "_Surly_ aren't they? When you interrupt their cuddle?" He teases.

Serena giggles, tosses her hair back, and she's about to respond when Blair looks back over her shoulder at the blonde with a dark glare. Serena settles for another giggle as they walk through the dining room and into the kitchen.

In front of them, Chuck shoots Blair an approving look.

"Oh, hi boys!" The older Serena's voice pulls the four of them out of their thoughts as they enter kitchen. It's full of light now; the way they had known it would be last night. The curtains on the windows pulled back and sunlight illuminating the space. They could see now the walls were painted a pale yellow bordered with a darker mustard color—it made the room glow, made it so they could envision it full of children and conversation.

At the moment, there are only two occupants of the room though. Liam and Cash are sitting on stools at the counter; both are wearing shorts, polo shirts, and sandal. Liam's are tan shorts with a pale green shirt; Cash's shorts are a plaid patter in a dull red and beige, his shirt is a warm red.

And they both spin around when Serena' speaks, sheets of paper very studiously flipped over, as Liam smiles at his mother and Cash nods.

"Hi Mom," Liam offers.

Cash smiles a little, "Hi…"

She smiles at them both, approaching them as she comments, "… you two are up early… everyone's still asleep…"

Cash nods. "Yeah, we're going to the beach…." He says shooting Liam a quick look; before adding, "As soon as the _invaders _get out of my pool house and we can get our gear."

Serena rolls her eyes, says, "Invaders?" questioningly as she reaches out touches the boys arm; there's a light of hesitancy in her eyes; Cash slips off his stool at her touch and walks right into her, wraps his arms around her in a hug.

She starts a little, gives Liam surprised look as she hugs him back. "Hey…" she says softly.

Cash nods as he pulls, "G'morning…"

She smiles at him, rubs her hand on his arm. "Everything cool?"

He nods. "Yeah… just you know… yesterday…"

She eyes him for a beat and then quirks her lisps a little, "What about yesterday?"

He ducks his head a bit and nods; before stepping away and sliding back up onto the stool. "Can you please go get them out of _my _pool house…" he huffs at his aunt, "You know they didn't even _ask?" _

Serena laughs a little, moves to Liam's side and touches his arm in much the same way. He smiles at her. And she answers Cash, "Ask you to join them you mean?"

Cash looks indignant. "_No!_ Like I _would_!_" _He spits. "Didn't ask if they could invade!" He corrects her.

"It's not actually_ your_ pool house," his aunt points out, linking her arm through her son's, "We just humor you…"

"My _stuff _is in there," Cash protests.

"No one told you to leave it in there."

"Aunt S!" And somehow the exclamation is neither a pout nor a whine, but still manages to sound oddly pleading.

She laughs, nudges Liam in the side with her elbow, "You have anything to add to this?"

"Yeah," he tells her, but his gaze is on Cash, "Cash should be more careful…" he says. But the tone is not nearly as playful as Serena's is or as Cash's is; his pale blue eyes are fastened on the younger boys face.

Cash's dark eyes narrow slightly.

"Something's going on there," Blair says softly, motioning between the two boys. The four of them are standing in front of the kids now, watching the expressions on their faces with interest.

Chuck nods, "I do wonder what those are…" he says pointing at the sheets of paper both boys are leaning over now.

"Sometimes you _can't _be careful," Cash snaps back.

And his aunt laughs, "Okay, okay… don't you two get into it! It's too early for arguments…" she says, "I'll go wake them up…" she says, releasing Liam and pushing away from the counter, "It'll take a couple hours for showers and getting dressed to be done anyway." She says, "We're doing brunch today, so keep that in mind when you go to the beach…"

"Today?" Liam asks, "It's Saturday… brunch is usually on Sunday's…"

Serena shrugs, "Don't question the Queen B, Liam," his mother teases.

And Cash nods agreeably, smiling.

And he looks so incredibly innocent right then, his hair dark hair combed neatly to one side and his dark eyes shining gratefully and a sweet smile that shows a dimple at his cheek, that there's no doubt left—he's up to something.

But his Aunt has too much on her plate, is relying too heavily on auto pilot to see it; she's smiling and saying the right words, but her thoughts are elsewhere, her concentration fixed on problems already arisen and confronted rather than one building and hidden.

"Thanks, Aunt Serena!" Cash calls out as she moves across the kitchen, "Bring me back my lounge chair, yeah?!"

She tosses him a stern look over her shoulder, despite the smile on her face, "I'll clear the place of _invaders_, Cash. But you do your own lugging-what-you-need-out, got it?"

He sighs, still smiling, "If you insist."

She laughs at him, "I insist," she says and pushes the door open, slipping outside.

Chuck and Blair watch her go curiously; Blair opens her mouth to ask, Serena answer her before she speaks, "Goes out to the pool and house…" she points off to the side, and says a little smugly, "Those are the stairs Nate was telling you about."

Cash's rough sigh and the way he collapses against the stool's backrest draw all their attention to the two boys. Cash is slumping onto the counter and Liam is regarding him with a pinched expression and very serious eyes.

"That was close." Cash whispers at him, but he sounds oddly amused.

"You put those back and forget every single word you said to me, Cash," Liam orders.

Cash straightens, eyes narrowing a bit, "You _know _it's a good idea."

"What I _know _is that when Uncle Chuck finds out you took those from his safe you're going to end up in a Tibetan Monastery for a month... maybe more."

Cash arcs an eyebrow, "_If _he finds out."

Liam rolls his eyes, "Because the sudden appearance of those pictures all over the tabloids isn't going to tip him off?"

"There are other ways for things to leak, that's what I want your help with." Cash tells him very solemnly, "You know this would work."

"We don't know _why _your Dad has those set aside, why he hasn't used them yet… if we—"

"He has _a lot _of things set aside, Liam. I picked _these _because the guy's a congressman."

Liam frowns, "With a pregnant wife."

Cash grins, slaps his hand on the table and nods excitedly, "Exactly!"

He's so enthusiastic about it that it has Blair breathing a laugh as she shoots Chuck a look. But he's watching his future son with a very intent look on his face.

Liam huffs at the younger boy. "You'd really do that?" He asks, eyeing his cousin with a critical stare, "It could potentially ruin their family." He points out.

Cash glares at him for a long moment and then he huffs back, throwing his hands out to his sides, "Oh fine," he relents.

A moment later he leans back and flips the photographs over. "If you'd rather it be _your _mother on the front cover of every tabloid, _fine." _

Liam rolls his eyes, "Messing up someone else's family isn't going to help."

"It _could… _if it takes the heat off us." Cash counters.

"And what if it gets traced back?"

"It _won't," _he says firmly, "Dad has a guy that—"

"And how do you plan to use Uncle Chuck's _guy _without him finding out?"

"They're called _bribes, _Liam."

"It's _deplorable, _Cash."

Cash sighs, swings his feet, banging them against the legs of the stool. It's an oddly childlike motion considering what it is the boy is discussing, "I'm just trying to help." He mutters.

"You can help by putting those back," Liam tells him, "And seriously, stay out of Uncle Chuck's stuff. When he finds out he's—"

"_If _Liam," Cash corrects again. "I don't get caught." He says arrogantly after a beat.

"Is that what I think it is?" Serena asks peering over Cash's shoulder at the pictures.

"That would be a man and a woman having sex, yes," Blair says eyeing them as well.

"Presumably, not his pregnant wife," Chuck adds.

Nate blows out a breath, shakes his head, "Jeez."

"I don't think the world is ready for you two to procreate…" Serena mumbles, shooting Chuck and Blair a worried look.

"Seriously," Nate agrees with her, "_Our _kid likes to _color _in his free time…"

"_Yours_ plots the downfall of congressmen…" Serena picks up.

Chuck and Blair turn simultaneously to deliver matching looks of disdain onto their blonder counterparts, but neither gets the chance to speak.

"At any moment, that can change," Liam tells the younger and all four of them transfer their attentions to the children once again.

Cash rolls his eyes in response.

A moment later, Liam presses his lips together and wonders, "And exactly what's up with suddenly wanting to take the heat off my Mom—? You've been all for the roasting lately…"

"Exactly what was up with the impromptu trip to Candice's yesterday?" Cash shoots back, waggling his eyebrows.

"How did you know about that?"

Cash shrugs, taps his fingers on the table, "I might have overheard something at the party… between Uncle Eric and Greg..."

"And exactly when would you have heard that if, as you said, you ditched as soon as you could…"

"I might have…" he trails off and smirks at Liam, taps one ear lightly.

Liam's eyes widen.

"_Oooh_," he says and then he's grinning suddenly, looking delighted, "But Aunt B told you to uninstall those!"

"And I did!" Cash replies, but he's looking delighted too, "I might have just… _re-installed_ them... or had the guys setting up yesterday do it."

Liam shakes his head, but he's still grinning.

And suddenly the contrast between the two boys lessens; Liam's teenage disapproval melting away to reveal a little boy amusement that matches Cash's exactly.

"How'd you do it? And is it on the same frequency?" He asks his little cousin.

Cash nods. "Yeah," he says, "Same frequency—and I waited in the pool house till no one was watching and then I just…" the boy shrugs, "Handed them over to the guys putting the lights and tents up and told them to install it."

Liam nods. "Awesome," he says, "That works for me. I still miss being wired into the game-room though…"

Cash nods a little sadly, "Yeah me too… those conversations were always awesome!"

Liam's agreeing while he pushes up from the stool, "You want juice?" He offers.

Cash shakes head, answers, "Nah," And then presses wryly, "Come on… spill! What'd you guys… _do…?" _

Liam rolls his eyes as he moves to the refrigerator, "Your twelve-year-old… don't you have video games to think about or something…"

"Uh-huh, says the fourteen year old with _shelves _of them…" Cash retorts. "Did you get into her room? I would have gotten into her room. Was she in bed? What does she sleep in? I bet it's lacey and completely —"

"Cash!" Liam snaps, the amusement gone as he turns back around with the pitcher of orange juice.

The boy blinks at him. "What?"

"Propriety. Look it up."

Cash swings his legs again; spins on the stool— looks for all the world like an adorable young boy with nothing but sweetly, innocuous thoughts and pursuits.

Liam doesn't look particularly upset though when a moment later he's sitting back down and drinking juice, "You know we have to go to the beach now, right? Because you lied."

Cash gives him a big, fake smile. "Boo-hoo."

Liam puckers his lips and a moment later a perfectly straight line of orange juice is shooting from his mouth onto Cash.

The younger boy squeaks and rears back, but not fast enough. "Oh gross!" He cries staring down at his shirt, "I have to _change _now!"

Liam smiles, big and real. "Boo-hoo."

Cash scowls. "You're such a pain."

Liam laughs; stands as he finishes the contents of his glass, "You don't have to change, it'll dry."

Cash's scowl is still in place, "Yes, I do."

Liam rolls his eyes, "Fine… but go put those back before your parents get up, _then _change, and then meet me by the pool… we'll go fast and come back."

Cash sighs, but moves to do as the older boy says; gathers together the photographs and slips them inside a black folder they hadn't noticed was lying under the pictures. They all back away from him so as not to be walked through and then watch silently as he heads for the door.

He's at the threshold, when he stops and turns back to Liam.

"She was crying…" he says abruptly, dark eyes serious.

And Liam turns around from where he'd been putting the glass into the dishwasher. "Huh?"

"Last night," Cash continues, "In her room. Aunt Serena. I was in the hallway and I heard her." He finishes.

Liam straightens. "Oh."

Cash nods, "Yeah." And then he turns around.

"Hey," Liam says when he's already out of the room.

Cash pokes his head back in, "Yeah?"

"She wears a Yankees t-shirt to bed…." Liam offers, "No lace."

And Cash grins, "She's too good for you," he calls back and disappears around the door.

Liam rolls his eyes and turns back to close the dishwasher.

"Our son was going to leak pictures of a congressman's infidelity to the press." Blair says incredulously into the silent kitchen a moment later.

Liam is looking around, sighing a little, before moving towards the backdoor.

Chuck nods; and then a small pleased smirk appears on his face, "Seems so, yes."

Blair frowns, "Well don't look so _proud _about it."

"I'm not…"

"You're totally beaming," Serena points out, smiling a little and pointing towards the door, "Come on…"

Nate nods, steps towards her.

Chuck shrugs; doesn't deny it the words a second time and Blair sighs at him. He smirks at her, then takes her hand as they follow Serena and Nate out of the kitchen.

* * *

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* * *


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the reviews and comments. :)

* * *

*******

* * *

Liam leads them to the pool house, walks in without knocking.

Blair reaches out and touches the door, stops it from closing, "But we can stop the doors from shutting," she says softly, as if committing rules to memory.

They walk in behind Liam; stand off to the side as he stops beside the bed.

"See," Nate says very quietly to his Serena as he motions towards the silent, contemplative other one, "She's just sitting there, looking so sad… I don't like it…"

Serena rolls her eyes and mutters again; a touch amused, "Such a _softie," _as she bumps herself into him.

His mother looks up when Liam walks into the room. She's sitting in the same chair Cash had been lounging on the night before, her back to the desk, facing the middle of the center space.

At the center of the room, the sofa has been turned into a bed and on the bed Annie, Gracie, and Harm are piled together, tangled in sheets and pillows. Gracie is in the middle, on her side, stretched out across the width of bed in a sprawl; her legs are intertwined with Annie's, who's angled towards the younger girl on her side, curled so her head is lying on one of Gracie's arms. Gracie's head is resting on Harm's stomach, one of his hands is in her hair, the other tucked under his face sweetly—and they are all deeply asleep.

"Mom…?" Liam asks motioning towards the bed and shrugging.

She smiles a little, "Just giving them a little longer…" she whispers.

And Liam rolls his eyes.

She shrugs at him, "They probably went to sleep very late—or early," she continues, but stands anyway; her smile turning wry, "Nobody likes to wake up early on a Saturday."

Her son laughs a little, "No," he agrees, keeping his voice low, "Not in this family…"

"And yet, there were you and Cash… very awake and dressed and ready…" Serena pauses before reaching the bed, meets her boy's gaze head on, "… to do _something_…" she prompts, voice knowing.

Liam ducks his head a little. "Crisis averted," he admits.

And his mother smiles again, wider this time as she approaches the sleeping children, "The free world thanks you, I'm sure."

"So should Congressman Cain," Liam responds.

Serena pauses again, shoots him a quick look, "You're certain that—"

"Yep, I'm sure," Liam nods; but then his brows draw together slightly, "But just don't tell Uncle Chuck, okay? I don't want him to—"

Serena snorts, is standing opposite from him, over the kids now on the other side; the bed between them, "Oh Chuck'll know," she interrupts her son with a laugh, "But I doubt there'll be _trouble _over it," she amends wryly, shaking her head as she bends down and runs her hand through Harm's hair, "Gotta wake up, sweetie…" she murmurs to him.

The boy frowns in his sleep, but doesn't stir otherwise.

It's Liam who snorts now. "Come on, Mom," he says dryly, "_This _is how you wake people, especially _these _people, up," he tells her.

And then he grips the edge of the mattress and shakes it up and down.

"Liam!" She scolds him.

Just as the three sleeping children come awake in a flurry of startled gaps and flailing limbs. They bump into other and roll over one another, knees shoved stomachs and elbows knocking into faces and Liam continues to jiggle the mattress.

"Time to get up!" He calls and lifts a grin to his Mom.

Serena laughs and bends down, grabs Harm around the middle and starts tickling him. He squeaks with startled laugher and beside him Gracie tries to unravel herself from sheets. So Serena reaches over and tickles her too.

Annie squeaks in outrage, trying to sit up, but unable too, because Liam is lifting _her _side of the bed. She tips over onto Gracie who pushes back, trying to avoid her mother's tickling hands.

The room is alight with laughter and shouts of _"Liam stop!"_ and _"Mom!"_ along with Harm's plaintive, _"Aaaaunt Sereena!" _when Annie lashes out and kicks at Liam with her bare foot, lands a whollup against his stomach.

He lets go of the mattress with a grunt and then latches onto her ankle with one hand. "That hurt!" He yells outraged, free hand rubbing at his stomach.

She scowls at him, "_Good!_"

Serena stops tickling Harm and Gracie, drops down on the mattress next to them, breathless with laughter, "Okay, okay…" she agrees, "No more…"

"Get off me!" Annie shouts, kicking her leg out; but Liam's hand is still wrapped around her ankle and he doesn't let go.

"You _kicked_ me!" He exclaims, like the concept is inconceivable.

"Because you're a _jerk!" _She cries, "Let go!" And when he doesn't, only starts pulling her towards him, clearly intent n tickling her, she turns to her stepmother and pleads, "S!"

"Let her go Liam," Serena tells him, laughing a little.

The older boy stills and then rolls his eyes and does; Annie scrambles back away from him, grabs a pillow and flings it at his head. He dodges it easily and grins at her.

"_Why _did you do this?" Harm asks them pathetically as rolls around and buries his face in a pillow.

Gracie nods her agreement pitifully and turns on her side; buries her face in the same pillow, mumbling, "G'away…"

Serena rubs Harm's back, Gracie's arm. "Need to get up, guys… brunch in a couple hours…"

Annie sighs roughly and sits up, "It's Saturday— don't you people do brunch on Sunday's?"

Gracie turns her head in Annie's direction, but doesn't move, "Don't call us _you people." _

"I'll call you what I want, Grace."

"Shut-up, _Anne." _

"Girls," Serena admonishes and taps Gracie's shoulder.

"They were like that _all _night," Harm moans; blinks open big brown eyes at his aunt, "I need more sleep... _please._"

Serena smoothes his hair gently, "Sorry, baby, you know brunch is at ten," she tells him gently and then looks to Annie, "Usually brunches are Sunday, but I suppose since we're all here today… Blair made an exception to the rule."

Annie sighs, mutters, "Lucky us," in a low voice. It wasn't that she didn't like spending time with the Bass family—at least that wasn't it, _precisely_. It was more that she liked to know about it advance—because it required a certain amount of mental preparation so that she didn't end up she didn't end up stabbing someone with a sharpened pencil crayon.

"_Please_ go away," Harm mutters, grappling for the sheets to pull over his head. Gracie obligingly provides them and the two children disappear under the covers.

"No one told you stay up into the morning," Liam says unsympathetically.

Annie swings her feet to the floor, no use fighting the inevitable. "Where's Moonie?" She asks; standing and turning around to look at her stepmother.

Serena stiffens almost imperceptibly, "Your Dad took him on a run," she answers softly, her voice even.

Annie nods, "Oh, okay…"

And Serena stands then. "Okay, come on guys… seriously. Up. Now." Her voice is firm this time and she bends down to the pull sheets back from them.

Gracie groans, rolls over until she's at the edge of the bed and stares up at the ceiling.

Harm sighs and sits up very slowly; his eyes closed. Serena pats his head as he stands up, eyes still closed; lays her hands on his shoulders and guides him to where Liam is standing. "Take him inside before you and don't spend too much time at the beach, okay…"

Liam laughs a little, nods, and replaces his mother's hands with his own on Harm's shoulders, starts to guide him out of the room. Annie's already walking to the door and she steps outside ahead of the boys.

When the three have left, Serena turns to her daughter; moves to sit beside her. "Come on, baby… I'll brush your hair after your shower…" she coaxes.

Gracie smiles a little and nods, but doesn't move; her gaze still on the ceiling.

Serena gives her a long moment, lets the girl lie there, still and quiet, the seconds ticking into minutes while she studies her little girl's profiles.

And the four of them stand and watch, equally still and silent.

Then the woman touches the daughter's nose, taps it once. "Let's go… we have to—"

"You know Moonie," Gracie says abruptly.

And Serena starts a little, then laughs, "Yes, I know Moonie…"

"V got him for Annie."

Serena nods. "Yeah, I know…" she responds; and pauses a moment before continuing, "Nate told us when she first got him, remember…"

"Did you know it was Dad's idea? That he picked him out and told V to get him for her because Annie wanted a dog?"

Serena actually pales a little, eyes sliding closed for a moment, breath leaving her on a rush. "No…" she says very carefully after a beat, "I didn't know that, but—"

"From _Tunsia_," Gracie continues, "He picked Moonie out for Annie via webvid from Tunisia."

Serena draws in a slow, deep breath. "Annie told you this?"

Gracie's head turns now, eyes going to her mother. "It slipped in conversation... and then I pressured."

"And why did you do that?"

She shrugs then, sits up as abruptly as she'd brought up the dog in conversation, "Because I wanted to know…" she says offhandedly, "The things he'll do for her."

"Gracie…" Serena sighs, standing as her daughter moves to get off the bed, "Your Dad—"

"—loves me and spends as much time with me as he can manage, I know that," the girl says easily, but as she is shifting away from her mother, she mutters, "When he can stand to look at me," so quietly they almost miss it.

And Serena freezes, "Grace."

The girl freezes too at the thread of sorrow in her mother's voice.

"Don't." Serena says fiercely, "Do _not _do that to yourself."

And Gracie licks her lips, big blue eyes round in her pale face, chestnut hair loose, accentuating her high cheekbones as she stares at her mother for a beat; before lowering her face, her gaze, towards the floor.

"It's Jenny," Blair gasps into the silent pool-house, the revelation startling her. Chuck, Serena, and Nate all turn to her, confused by the words. "She looks like _Jenny_…" Blair points out, "See…" she says, "Look at her face… the shape of her mouth and chin…"

There's a pause and then, "That makes sense, I guess…" Serena says softly, "Jenny would be her aunt…"

"I'm not doing anything," Gracie says softly, "It's the truth."

"It's not the truth… and I don't know where you've been… _reading_ things, finding them out, but you need to stop."

The girl lifts her face, "How else am I supposed to know things?" And it's a true question, no sullenness tinting the words. They can see it on her face, the idea that she should know things—even if they hurt.

"You don't need to know everything, honey." Serena says gently and then pulls her in close for a hug, "Sometimes the things we don't tell you are to protect you. Let us do that."

Gracie allows the hug and then looks up at her Mom, chin pressed into Serena's stomach, "Or because you think I can't handle it."

Serena sighs, shakes her head. "Or because there's more to it than we can explain," she counters softly, bringing her hands up to smooth the girl's eyebrows with her thumbs, "The older you get the more complicated some things become, Gracie—you'll see. And sometimes, those things—these things you're finding, are _lies. _Your Dad loves you more than he knows what to do with…"

"And so do you," Gracie prompts.

Serena smiles. "And so do I," she agrees.

"And Uncle Nate too," she tells her mother.

Nothing so much as a flinch flashes across her mother's face, "And Uncle Nate too."

"And so we can home soon? And we can just… stay the same as always, because the things I read are _lies, _right?"

Serena blinks at her daughter; hands stilling for a moment and then dropping down to the girl's shoulders, "How can you possibly be this cognizant just out of bed?"

It's Gracie's turn to blink curiously. "I dunno… what does _cognizant_ mean?"

Serena laughs a bit. "It means, _let's go," _she teases, turning the girl around, "Time to shower and dress and maybe Dorota will make you that omelet you like for the brunch."

At the mention of her maid, Blair gasps a little; remembering suddenly that the older Blair had _spoken _to Dorota yesterday.

"_Mooom!_" Gracie drawls the word out, looking back at her mother as she's pushed forward gently towards the door. "I'm serious!"

Serena nods. "I know you are… and I wish I had more to tell you, sweetie, I do," she says softly as they leave the pool house. "But… I don't. For now, we're just… we're all here and we're going to try to enjoy what's left of our summer, okay?"

Serena's drops her arm over Gracie's shoulders then and the little girl leans her head against her mother in silence.

The four of them are walking along with them; the path to the house in front. Blair has to pick up her speed a little, leave Chuck and Nate a pace behind, to keep up with Serena; the blonde is following her older self and child closely, observing them intently, though Blair is glad to see none of yesterday's hysterics on the girl's face.

"S…?" She says very quietly, questioningly, touching her friends arm.

The girl sends her a quick reassuring look, a tiny small smile, _still okay(ish), _it said and Blair nods a little; sticks close.

"I just… I don't want things to… I don't want you to go away and leave us, okay?" Gracie admits as they reach the kitchen door.

Serena stops walking then; turns to her daughter and takes her face in her hands, "That is not going to happen."

Gracie doesn't move, looks up at her mother and says solemnly, "It's what happened last time. You left us, Liam and me, because of me… because I—I—"

"No. That's not what happened," Serena contradicts, "It was different then, my life was different then, okay? It had nothing to do with—"

"I've seen the articles. I ruined your marriage."

"You've… _what!?_"

Gracie nods, dislodging her mother's hands, "I read it, looked up your name and 2018—busy year for you, Mom."

Serena looks completely appalled.

And they couldn't blame her. The girl wasn't even _accusing _her mother of anything, it was a simple stating of facts—and somehow that made it worse. There was no judgment, no resentment; nothing, but worry in those big blue eyes.

"Why would you _do _that?" Serena manages to ask, eyes roving over her little girl's face, "_How_ would you do that?!"

The morning sun has gotten higher, hotter, and it reflects off their hair in brilliant sparks of light. The lawn looks lush and green, the house stately and elegant, the pool glimmering and cool—so much outward perfection it could almost distract one from the slowly crumbling defenses of a child.

"_Research, _Mom," Gracie answers simply, still perfectly calm about it all. "It was easy; you know the access Uncle Chuck's computer has to things?" She says almost amused, "And it's important to have information…" she continues, the amusement abruptly fading, "Especially when _history is repeating itself." _

Serena's eyes narrow, "Who did you hear say that?"

Gracie shrugs; doesn't meet her mother's gaze.

A beat passes and then Serena releases a very slow breath.

"Okay," she says very seriously, "I need you to listen to me very, very closely, Grace. Do you understand?"

The girl rolls her eyes, "Yeah, Mom, I know you love and stuff, that's not—"

"History is not repeating itself," Serena continues as if her daughter had not spoken, her blue eyes fixed on the child, "And next time you hear that, you tell whoever said it, so— and if you would like to tell me who you heard that from right now, I'm listening."

Gracie's mouth snaps shut.

Serena continues after a moment. "You did not a ruin a thing, Gracie."

"Mom—"

"A single thing," Serena's speaks over the girl's voice.

The girl huffs, "How can you _say _that? If you hadn't had me then—"

"I _did _have you though," Serena persists, not letting her daughter finish, "And I wouldn't change that," she pauses, "You're my baby, my _daughter, _and I _wouldn't _change you or the circumstances around you for _anything…" _she pauses, her gaze boring into the girl's, "Even if I'd known then what I know now," she continues fervently, "It wouldn't matter— I'd still do it all the same. I'd do it all over again— just to have _you_, okay?"

There's a beat of stillness, maybe two, when Gracie is looking into her mother's face and _wanting _to believe it so badly it make them all fee like looking away, even though they simply cannot.

And then, just like that, the girl does. She nods and she accepts it; she's nine-years-old and her mother still has infinite chances. "Okay," she says.

Serena nods back, stares at her a moment more, and then shakes her head a little, drops a heavy hand on the girl's head, "And I am _not _going to leave again. Stop worrying so much," she tells her, tilting the girl's head to one side.

Gracie smiles a bit, "That's what Uncle Nate said too."

"That's because he and I are wise and awesome and you should listen to us," Serena teases, not letting herself dwell on thoughts of Nate as she opens the kitchen door and motioning for the girl to walk inside.

"I can't help it!" Gracie cries as she does. "I'm a thinker!"

Serena laughs, "Did an internet quiz tell you that?"

And Gracie's giggle leads them back inside. They're quick to make sure they catch the door— the girls preceding the boys into the kitchen.

And then they gape a little as they enter the room. In the time they've been outside, the kitchen has been transformed.

"It's Dorota!" Blair gasps, stepping forward as they look around, her eyes widening a little.

And indeed it is.

Dorota, along with the woman they knew as Gail, and two other girls, are in the kitchen— cooking. The counters are lined with ingredients from bread to eggs to vegetables to oils to spices to batter to syrups to sugars to fruit, the stoves are on, the ovens are on, and the air is filled with the scent of brewing coffee and cinnamon.

It's brunch in the making and they watch with startled expressions.

The girls are in their mid-twenties and wearing simple black and white uniforms. Gail wearing tan and white, pants and a blouse, her hair is pinned back. Dorota is wearing black jeans and a blue blouse and she's wearing her hair back as well. It's the same rich, black it's always been and she looks just as busy and content as usually; she's standing at the counter, mincing something, when Serena and Gracie walk in.

"Ah, Miss Gracie," Gail says turning to face the opening door, there's a portfolio in her hands, along with a pen, and she certainly looks more in command now than she had in the moment they had glimpsed of her the day before, "Shall we proceed to getting dressed?"

Gracie frowns at the woman. "I don't need specialized attention, even if Aunt B said…. I'm not going to be trouble today," and she lifts her chin a little, "I'm _never _trouble," she finishes, daring the nanny to contradict her.

"Not at all," Gail's lips spread in a placating smile, "But we do have a rather tight schedule this morning. Aside from family brunch, you and Mister Harm have a tennis lesson at eleven."

Gracie stares at her; expression stating quite clearly she couldn't care less.

Serena pats the girl's back gently, "Go on…"

Gracie sighs, drags her feet as she approaches Gail.

The woman nods, "Very good," she encourages and Gracie shoots her a scathing look.

Dorota turns around then and wipes down her hands with a cloth; sends Gail a glance fraught with meaning and then looks at Gracie, "Miss Annie needs clothing to wear; you can tell which ones you will like for her," she tells her with a nod.

Gracie brightens a little, "I can pick it?"

"If you pick nice," Dorota amends as the girl rushes out of the room.

Gail sighs, looks at Dorota with a tiny smile and then moves to follow her charge.

Serena laughs a little when her daughter has gone, moves towards a cupboard, "I need coffee—so incredibly desperately…"

One of the maids silently hands her a mug full of it before she's opened the cupboard.

She laughs again, taking it and having a big swallow before nodding, and saying, "Thank you, Lis." She glides across the room, setting down the mug on the counter as she launches herself at Dorota.

"Dorota!" She cries with a grin, "Good morning! What are you doing here!?" She laughs, "It's Saturday!"

Dorota gives her a quick hug back, says, "Good you are back," with warmth and when Serena pulls back she looks upwards and huffs, "Miss Blair, she ask for help today because house full."

Serena grins. "And you came…!" She says still laughing, "You're too good to us, Dorota!"

Dorota smiles and shakes her head at the woman, "You should go dress too…"

Serena giggles, picks up her mug of coffee from the counter, "Oh I'm dressed," she tells Dorota, "Blair can't brow beat _me_ into dressing up for a family meal if I don't want to. I'm comfy and I want a _mountain _of French toast, alright?"

Dorota nods, smiling again as she turns back to the counter.

And Serena slips away again, out of the kitchen with her coffee in hand.

"Isn't it great, Chuck," Blair says as they follow, dropping back a little from Serena's side to look into his face, "I still have Dorota with me…"

And he looks over at her, at her little smile and shining eyes, at how _sincere _she is in this simple joy and he can't quite stop himself; he leans forward and kisses her—quick and oddly chaste and utterly sweet, because she is _adorable. _

Blair laughs; presses the kiss back just as quick and sweet.

Serena giggles at them, shoots Nate a quick delighted look; because it's nice to see them both happy for once; and then motions for them to leave the kitchen.

"You still okay?" He asks her stepping closer to her as they walk.

She shrugs a little. "I guess…" she murmurs; but she doesn't look over at him, doesn't meet his gaze. She knows he'll see the answer is less an ambiguous _I guess _and more _no._

And she knows somehow as they walk through the dining room, where places have been set with silverware already, with their best friends a step behind them, that she's going to tell him anyway; because she's always wanted to tell him everything, even when she wasn't supposed to.

He's watching her and waiting for her—like always, when she looks over at him.

"It's just so weird…" she says softly, "Because…. I _do_ know now… you know? I know and I— _she_ said if she'd known, she wouldn't change anything, but—" Serena cuts herself off, shrugs again.

They're walking into the den now; and he offers her a small nod. "But you would?" He prompts softly.

"Maybe… I dunno, Nate… I just… I don't want to be that person that… " she makes a face, "… cheats on people, ya know?"

The words are hesitant, but not for the reason they should be; and she winces when they fill the air, when she hears them out loud.

Nate winces too; their gazes holding as their thoughts whirl to a bar and impressions of a night whose details would never fade. It swirls between them for a moment, _look at you you're a mess _and _so you are _before they blink it away, the way they've learned to do.

And then from behind them, Blair laughs; an actually amused tinkle of laughter as she teases, "Oh Nate knows."

Both blondes freeze.

They turn around slowly to find Blair smirking at them lazily, her arm is slipped through the crook of Chuck's elbow, his hand over hers, and a knowing expression on his face; in that moment, standing there like that, leaning into each other and facing out together, they _already _look so marriedthat Nate and Serena just gape at them for beat.

It takes a moment for Serena to ascertain that it's definitely amusement on both her brother and best friend's faces, albeit a rather twisted sort, and then she sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Are we _ever _going to stop bringing that up?" She wonders.

Blair shrugs one shoulder carelessly, "Take heart, after all, _she _hasn't mentioned it…" she says lightly, motioning to the space around them in reference to her older self.

Nate rolls his eyes, huffs, "Great— so in a decade or so, _awesome." _He teases.

And there's a sudden flash of peace about it among them, an acknowledgment of the scar they bear, of the brand they'll never quite manage to conceal. But also of the moment losing its footing within their story— decisive, yes; divisive, no— it would never be a fond, sepia-toned memory, would always sting in different ways, but it hadn't been the end of them, they were still here, still all together.

"Consider yourself lucky, Nathaniel," Chuck muses then, "I've a feeling I'm _still _hearing about… certain _incidents." _

Blair laughs again, shifts her look to Chuck, "Oh _absolutely_. You forgot me!" She accuses, but there's teasing in her voice when she says it now.

Serena giggles and darts forward, long golden hair a whirl behind as she skips ahead and into the living. Nate's gaze turns with her movement, eyes following her for a moment before his steps to do so.

And Blair tugs Chuck along after them.

In the living room, the older Serena is standing with Blair, who is dressed in a deep red skirt matched with a breezy-looking beige blouse; she's wearing tan, high-heeled sandals and her hair is twisted into a lovely chignon at the nape of her neck.

Serena in her pale blue sundress and Blair in her red skirt; S's hair loose, B's hair up— the women contrasted as vividly as they always have and it makes the four of them smile a little.

And the two of them are joined by Eric and Greg; the latter of which is in the midst of what is obviously a long winded complaint, "… and this better be _it _for this weekend, we are _not _trekking back up here for this again tomorrow!"

Eric laughs, "We're not?" He wonders.

And Greg sends him an incredulous look, "Seriously?!" He squeaks, "You want to come here again tomorrow!? But when are we supposed to sleep in?!" He asks and then rushes on before Eric can answer, "You _know_, I like to sleep in! And we can't—"

"Oh for heaven's sake, I wouldn't _have _you here again tomorrow, Gregory." Blair cuts in dryly.

Serena throws her head back and laughs, then reaches out and pats his shoulder, "I'm fairly certain this brunch is _instead of _not _in addition to, _right B?"

"Absolutely," the brunette agrees. "It's barely after nine-thirty and I'm already exhausted." She sends the other woman a dark look, "After all _someone _woke me up early this morning."

Serena sighs, "I was upset. I apologized."

"Why were you upset?" Greg asks, "Did you want to sleep in too? Did you have to feel the injustice of having to drive to the Hamptons on a Saturday morning before your third cup of coffee because your boyfriend's brother's wife issued an official summons at the crack of dawn?"

Blair huffs. "It was eight-thirty!" While her younger counterpart says wryly, "Kind of a drama queen, isn't he?"

Chuck purses his lips, says amusedly, "Just a bit."

"No, Greg," the older Serena answers, humoring him, "That's not why I was upset."

He nods at her. "Oh, well," he says sighing, before adding, "What then?" In a surprisingly serious tone.

Serena presses her lips together and shrugs a little, "Just been a tough morning, is all. First one back— mending fences, you know…"

Greg doesn't reply to that, just studies her with intent green eyes; before shifting the look to Blair.

The brunette promptly responds with, "She had an argument with Nate and decided to storm into my bedroom to tell me about it."

"It wasn't an argument!" Serena cries, "Not really…"

Greg looks back at her with skepticism written all over his face. He opens his mouth to speak and she lifts a hand, says, "Sssh!" Heatedly and he closes it again. "Not one word!" Serena says to him, "You're here for brunch, not to psychoanalyze your sister-in-law."

"And why are we here for brunch this again?" Eric asks, arching an eyebrow at Blair, "I'm not complaining," he offers quickly, "Just wondering…"

Blair shrugs, "Nate and Annie are here, it seemed appropriate… what with Serena's arrival and all." She adds, shooting the other woman a look. "Is Nate not back yet?" She wonders.

Serena looks away for a moment and then draws in a deep breath and pulls up a smile, "I don't know, but if he was, I doubt I'd be the first to know."

It's a heavy uncomfortable silence that follows those words; and then the older Serena, like their younger one, laughs a little and brushes it away, "But you would know, B, you know everything!" She teases lightly.

And Blair shakes her head, smiles for Serena, because Serena wants her to; but there's a seriousness in her brown gaze that won't fade; it matches that of the one in her sister's blue.

"Well he needs to get himself back here already," she says, "Ravenous children are going to stomp down those steps at any minute!" She says.

Greg gasps mockingly, "They dare to stomp!?"

Eric laughs and sends him a warning look, "She's going to lock you in a pantry…"

Blair nods.

Greg opens his mouth, Eric shakes his head before he can speak, "No, I won't be there," he tells him with a smirk.

"Eric gets crepes," Blair tells Greg.

"Blatant favoritism is beneath you, Blair." Greg reproaches, his lips quirking with laughter.

Serena giggles, "Are you kidding? Favoritism was invented by Blair."

Eric nods. "At the very least she's a charter member of the founding club," he teases and then tilts his head to one side, "Where's Chuck…? The kids aren't the only ravenous ones you know?"

"But we can't start without Nate," Serena points out.

Blair sighs. "Call him."

Serena makes face, tries to lighten the very real sorrow with joking. "Like he'd pick up."

"Fine, I will call him." Blair mutters.

"He's still not going to pick up," Eric points out.

"Don't burst their bubble," Greg teases as he moves to lean back against an armrest. He pats the space beside him for Eric to join him and then he crosses his arms, "Let's watch."

Eric grins and goes to sit by him.

"I hate when you do that," Serena says, looking at them reprovingly, despite the smile still on her lips, "We're not your movie."

"Speak for yourself," Blair says smiling as she moves to an end-table and lifts a small, sleek handset to her ear, "My life has always been a cinematic masterpiece," she finishes.

And the younger Blair nods, "So true," she says, looking first at Chuck and then at Serena and Nate. They all roll their eyes at affectionately.

"I'm right aren't I?" Eric says cheekily several moments later, "He's not picking up?"

Greg grins, pats Eric's leg. "Eric knows these things."

"Oh, shush, you two." Blair says, sighing as she sets the phone down, "He understands the concept of brunch, I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Nice, because I'm not," Serena mumbles.

The room is quiet again, seconds sliding by, and then Eric nudges Greg a little, tilts his chin towards his sister.

Greg frowns and huffs a little, "What? I'm not a marriage counselor!" He exclaims.

And Eric sighs, closes his eyes. "I was trying for subtlety."

Greg blinks, "Oh. I missed that… and anyway, I'm _not." _

"I don't _need _a marriage counselor, thank you very much."

"Uh-huh, speaking of—where's Sunny? We have imaginary friends to track down! Which, by the way, I'm tell you is perfectly normal…" Greg states.

"You haven't talked to him about them yet," Eric argues, "He's really… adamant about them. It's a little alarming."

"So wait," Chuck whispers, leaning in close to Blair's ear, "We're supposed to presume this bozo is a _psychologist." _

Blair laughs, "I don't think he's a bozo."

"Be nice, Chuck," Serena tells him, "He seems fun."

"Yeah man," Nate agrees, "Fun is a good thing."

Chuck rolls his eyes, "Your standards are suffering severely."

Serena giggles, leans up to mock whisper into Nate's ear, "I think Chuck plans to screen all Eric's potential boyfriends." She tells him and Nate laughs, sends his best friend a grin.

"Yours too," Chuck corrects Serena easily, "You both have appalling predilections."

Blair nods, agreeing, "You ought follow Chuck's lead, his preference is flawless—" she sends Chuck a quick look before adding, "Though it is a recent development."

Serena opens her mouth to speak, but Greg speaks over her.

He's turned towards Eric, eyes narrowed, "You were going to drag me out here again today anyway, weren't you?"

Eric blinks at him innocently, "I would hope I wouldn't have to _drag_ you."

Greg stares at him and Serena laughs, "I'll go get Sun," she says sweetly, "Thank you Greg, for being such a wonderful Uncle and being so sweet to your youngest nephew who just _adores _you."

He sighs; couldn't argue that one.

And the older Blair nods as Serena moves towards the steps, "Start sending the others down too," she tells her, glancing at her watch, "I'll try Nate again…"

"And Chuck," Eric reminds her, "Where is he?" He asks again.

"Oh," Blair says, realizing she never answered, "He's in his office, said he had to handle something. I'll call him out just before we sit."

Eric nods.

And Serena's already on the third step when the younger Blair moves towards her, tugging Chuck along, "Come on," she tells the others, "We should see Sunny… remind him to ask m—his Auntie B," she corrects herself at the last moment, "To tell him about the necklace."

Serena smiles at the back of Blair's head. Nate nudges her as the follow the couple up the steps and he grins, shaking his head; Serena giggles, because they are in perfect agreement—Blair Waldorf on a mission is a sight to behold.

"What are two snickering about?" Chuck asks as they reach the hallway; tone truly curious.

But they don't respond, just smile and look around them. Harm, wearing deep pink shorts and a pale red shirt, with his hair still on end like he hadn't combed yet, is leaning against the wall beside the door to Gracie's room— and he's holding what looks like a portable video game system in his hands, eyes focused on the screen.

"He's not supposed to be using that, right?" Blair wonders, "It's an electronic…"

As if in response, a door opens and Gail emerges, a pair of sandals in her hands. She stops beside Harm and extends her hand. He sighs, frowning at her, but hands it over. She replaces it with the sandals and then knocks briefly on the door before entering to see Gracie, and likely, Annie. Harm puts the sandals on and then crosses his arms over his chest and glares into the far wall.

"I think you're right, B." Serena agrees with a smile, moving to Sunny's room, "He's definitely not supposed to be doing that." But there's laughter in her voice because she thinks maybe the Bass boys do a lot of things they're not supposed to do.

Sunny's door is open and the room is as bright as it had been the first time they' seen it. The bed is made, the crayons and coloring books put away, the curtains are pulled back to let all the sun inside, and the little boy is sitting at his table with paper and coloring supplies. His mother is sitting beside him and they look deep in conversation.

"See," Nate says, looking behind at Chuck and Blair as he motions towards his future son, " _Coloring." _

Sunny looks up at his voice, little face lighting up in a smile, "Hey!" He says happily and waves at them. His blonde hair is freshly washed and still wet, it was combed, it would seem, very neatly at some point, but he's since rubbed one side of it so now an entire patch of hair was at odd angles. He's wearing a blue t-shirt with a swirling sun in pale yellow on it, shorts in the same yellow hue, and the same sneakers from yesterday—with that orange cartoon character.

His mother looks up and in the direction of his wave just they as sigh and wave back.

"Who're you waving too, baby?" She asks him.

Sunny's smile is stretching over his whole face and he goes to stand up when his Mom catches his arm, "Stay with me," she tells him sweetly.

And he nods even as the four of them approach him.

They give him variations of _Hi Sunny _and _Hey Sunny _as they come to stand over the table.

"That's the necklace," Blair says softly.

Sunny nods. "I'm drawing it again!" He tells them brightly, "With markers!" He points out.

"Baby," his mother calls, reaches out and smooths his hair gently, "What's going on?"

"Oh!" Sunny turns to her, "They're here… my invisible friends… they were—" he looks over at them, "Where did you go?" He asks, his big, blue eyes going from Blair's face to Chuck's to Serena's and coming to rest on Nate.

"We took a walk," he tells he little boy.

"They went for a walk, but they're back now," he says to his Mommy, turning back to her. Before his eyes go wide and he brings a hand to his mouth in surprise. His gaze flies to Chuck, "Are we still playing the game?"

And Chuck laughs a little, because what else can he do? "No, Sunny," he answers, "I don't think there's much point to it anymore." He tells the boy.

Sunny nods and looks back to his Mom, smiling at her. She touches his cheek gently, "So now is just a perfect time for you to tell Uncle Greg all about these new friends, isn't it?" She prods.

He nods. "Yep," he agrees and picks up a lavender marker.

"Alrighty then, let's go…" she prods him, ruffling his hair— so maybe it hadn't been Sunny you rubbed it so it stuck up then…?

"I can't, Mommy," he says plaintively, eyes focused intently on the page in front of him, his little tongue caught between his teeth as he colored in a gray oval, "M'not finished. I have to finish…"

"Baby…"

"I'm helping them," he says to his Mommy, looking over at her just then, "So they can go home, that's good right?"

She smiles a little, nods, "Yes baby, that's good," she agrees; and then glances at the page, "Just finish coloring it in and then we'll go okay…"

He nods. "I'm going to help them," he says determinedly, going back to his task.

Serena grins, feels something so warm bloom inside her she can't help but say, "He's amazing."

Just as her older self sighs and rubs the little boy's back, "If only everything could be as wonderful as you, Sunny." There's an unmistakable thread of sadness, of longing, her voice that reminds them all, this woman isn't nearly as cheery as she's behaving.

Sunny lifts his head, "Are you sad, Mommy?" He asks, brow puckered in concern, "They're sad too," he tells her.

Serena takes a moment, blinks at the boy, and then wonders softly, "Who, baby? Your imaginary friends?"

"They're not imaginary. They're invisible," Sunny corrects simply.

"Ah," Serena says, smiling and little and nodding, "Invisible, okay. Why are your invisible friends sad?"

Sunny looks a tiny bit put out by the question, "I told you," he says, going back to his coloring, "They want to go home."

Serena draws in a quick breath suddenly, her eyes scanning her little boy's profile very quickly as she wonders carefully, "Do _you_ want to go home?"

And Sunny bites his lip a little, "Me?"

His mother bites her lip too, "Yes, baby, you."

Sunny lifts his head again, looks over at her with excitement slipping over his features, "Sure! Will you come too? And Daddy? And Liam?" He giggles a little, "And the girls!? And we can make popcorn and throw it! Like when we watched—"

But there's dawning heartbreak over his mother's face, like his every word is piercing her heart with mortal blows. And she stands abruptly, can't listen to him recount a memory, can't bear to remember the life she was so close to losing.

"Mommy?" He's looking up at her and she has a hand pressed to her mouth, is backing out of the room.

"She's going to cry," Nate says quietly.

But not quietly enough.

Sunny's gaze to him quickly and he stands up too, before looking at his Mom, "You're going to cry!?" He squeaks, looks near tears suddenly too.

But his Mommy shakes her head quickly, vigorously, "No, no…" she tells him, lowering her hand, but her voice is tight and she's drawing in a deep breath that's so close to hitching they can _see _it. "Just…" she's backing out through the doorway now and Sunny's following her, bottom lip coming out a little and small face fearful.

"Just… go on downstairs," she finishes for him, waving down the hallway, "G—go on," and then she turns around and rushes a few steps away to open a door and disappear inside.

They've followed Sunny into the hallway, are staring with concern at the door the older Serena has shut behind her—just like the little boy is doing.

Harm is standing with them suddenly, "What happened?" He asks, laying a hand on Sunny's shoulder, voice concerned.

Sunny looks up, big tears in his eyes, "Did I make Mommy sad?"

Harm frowns. "What?"

"No, no," Serena says quickly, "You didn't…" she nudges Nate to speak, because after all _he _was the one set it off. And he nods, gets it, moves towards Sunny.

"You didn't make her sad, pal. Okay, she's just… tired." He amends, figures it's a sort-of-truth, anyway.

Sunny shifts to look him, "Really?"

Nate nods, "Yeah, definitely. You didn't make her sad…"

"But you said she was gonna cry…"

Harm starts. "What?! Sunny, what're you talking about?"

"I was wrong," Nate says quickly, looks at Serena and she nods in approvingly, "You could never make her cry." He says.

"She loves you too much," Serena adds.

And Sunny bites his lip again, blinks away the tears and sniffs a little as he nods, "That's true."

"Ugh, Sunny," Harm grumbles and then pushes past the boy and to the door his Aunt had disappeared past. He knocks on it, "Aunt S?" He calls, "Are you okay?"

There's a charged moment in the hallway; silence as Harm and Sunny, and the four of them, though they count a bit less, wait for a response. The door to Gracie's room opens and she and Annie slip through it, oddly enough, smiling. Both smiles freeze as they sense the mood in the hallway.

"Aunt S!?" Harm calls again, knocking a bit harder.

Gracie takes a step forward, smile falling, "What's going—"

Her question is cut off by the opening of the door and Serena steps through it; a smile affixed to her face that doesn't come near her eyes, but will do for the children.

"Can't a lady have a moment alone with the mirror in this house?!" She teases and reaches out to ruffle Harm's hair even further. It's a collective breath of silent relief as Serena strides down the hall and motions to the steps, "To brunch, all!" She commands in a silly voice.

Harm rolls his eyes and grins, "Sunny thought he made you cry."

Sunny nods, looking up at her a touch anxiously, and his mother swoops down to lift him into her arms, "Definitely not!" She says, "You're my _sunshine!" _

He giggles and the girls grin and Harm roll his eyes again. Gracie's wearing white shorts and a pink tank top the same hue of Harm's shorts; Annie's wearing neon orange shorts that are _too _short for her and a lime green t-shirt that said _I'm a princess _in big bubble letters.

Harm snorts a little as they walk down the steps, "Nice shirt," he notes.

"Apparently it's the only one Gracie can spare—of her three dozen."

He laughs and as they walk down the steps, Serena adjusts her hold on Sunny and says carefully, "Those shorts are a little—"

"S'not my fault she's taller than me," Gracie points out before her mother can finish speaking, snickering a little.

"Has nothing to do with the fact that these are yours from two years ago, right?" Annie shoots back with a huff.

"Gracie," Serena says sternly while Sunny lays his head on her shoulder.

They've all reached the living room when the girl turns around, and shrugs, smiling, "She can't change now, Mom… brunch is about to start."

"And I am kinda starving," Annie says, "But _still." _She adds, shooting Annie a look, "I except _normal _clothes when you get back from tennis."

Gracie laughs. Harm's looks at her and grins.

Blair is still with Eric and Greg in the living room. "Oh, good," she says when she sees them, "Let's get to the dining room then…"

"Sunny!" Greg cries shooting up from the armrest, "Just the four-almost-five-year-old I wanted to see!"

Sunny giggles and then wiggles in his mother's arms. She sets him down and he cries, "Uncle Eric!" Like he'd done the night before and then launches himself at the man; who once again lifts him up high.

"Did you reach, Nate?" Serena asks Blair as she comes closer to the other woman.

"No." She says very seriously; eyes dark.

Serena sighs.

Cash and Liam walk in from the den then; both with wet hair and smiles.

"Perfect timing!" Blair cries, smiling at them.

There's a raucous of voices then; all of them talking at once, Serena to Annie, Gracie to Harm, Liam to Eric, Cash to Greg, Sunny to Blair and it's a mess of conversations and laughter and the four of them stair with wide eyes, they followed the group down the steps silently, and now they're standing there, gaping, because it's the most familial scene they've ever seen. It looks like it belongs inside some holiday movie about chopping down your own tree or fitting a turkey in your oven—it's completely foreign and completely _theirs _and they couldn't tear their eyes away for anything.

Until a door off one side of the living room opens and Chuck walks out of it— accompanied by Carter Baizen.

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	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: So this chapter and the previous are what happens when I have nothing to do for a whole day. :P They were originally one chapter, but then I felt this chunk could be it's own entry. Thank you all so much for reading and all your reviews and comments. I appreciate them all a lot. And to my NS reviewers (you know who are) their time is coming.

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Serena and Blair, both versions, gasp quite dramatically; but the older versions follow it up with a frown and a scowl respectfully.

"Chuck, what is going!?" Blair demands, and the kids fall silent, shifting to look at Chuck, noticing Carter.

"Carter," Serena says carefully, "Wha—what are you doing here?"

It's easy for the four of them watching to tell which kids know Carter—the expressions on Liam, Cash, Harm, and Gracie's faces become anxious and their gazes fly to Serena.

"Perfect," Chuck says, walking towards his wife, eyes on his sister, "We were just coming to find you." He says to the blonde.

"Mom, what is Carter doing here?"

"And hello to you too, Gracie," Carter says, winking at the girl.

"Carter," Serena warns. She goes to answer her daughter, but Blair speaks again, eyes on Chuck.

"What is going on? Why is he here, Chuck?"

"No thank you, Blair, I simply can't stay for brunch, but the off—"

"Carter, stop!" Serena snaps, "You said you'd _call _me, not that you'd—" she cuts herself off, eyes going to Chuck, "What did you do?"

"How about we go on in to the dining room," Eric says, shifting Sunny in his arms, "I can't be the only one starving!" He calls out as he turns around, shooting Greg a look.

"That's right!" Greg agrees, "You just said you were hungry Annie! I bet the others are too… come on! Cash you have to finish telling me about your t-rex 'cycle!" He says with enthusiasm and it wasn't false excitement at all; which is probably why Cash nods and moves towards him.

"Mom…" Liam's voice is questioning even as he too moves to leave the room.

"We're going to be right in," Chuck tells all the kids, smiling. His hair is combed and he's wearing long, beige slacks with a warm red shirt and beige vest, his ascot is a patterned silk that looks like maybe there are roses on it, red roses. "You all go ahead," he adds, and there's a thread of steel in his voice.

Greg and Eric guide all children from the room; and when they've all gone, the room feels oddly still.

"Explain." Blair hisses, dark eyes going from Carter to her husband, landing there with force.

"I got a call early this morning asking me to come in for a preliminary meeting," Carter explains easily, hands coming out to his sides in a shrug, "And you'll be happy to know we've come to an understanding—for now at least."

"No, no," Serena says shaking her head, "That's not—" her gaze narrows at Chuck, "You were _asleep _early this morning. You can't have—"

"I do have people who make phone calls for me, Sis, at all hours of the day if I so choose," Chuck cuts in, "I asked for it to be done last night."

"Why? You said you wouldn't work with him. What changed? What did you do?"

"I'll leave Carter to explain the details to—"

"No," Serena snaps, taking a step towards Chuck, "_You _explain it to me. What. did. you. do?"

And Chuck takes exception to the tone. They can see it in the way his eyes narrow, the way his mouth thins, "I did exactly what you wanted me to do," he says flatly, "Business. With Carter."

She shakes her head, eyes going to Carter. "Why didn't you call me? Tell me you were here?"

"Things happened in a bit of a rush, darling," he says easily, smiling at her. But it's the smile he gives everybody and his eyes are not quite meeting hers.

"This is ridiculous!" Blair hisses, "Explain yourself _now, _Chuck." She says leveling him with a glare.

He shrugs, pulling his gaze from Serena, "There is nothing for me to explain. I had a contract drafted. I presented it. Pending some additional queries later this week, he's tentatively agreed to sign. End of story." He tells her.

Blair arcs in an eyebrow, not buying it-- no one is buying it.

So Chuck adds carefully, "My part of the story."

"Carter." Serena says his name like a question and a demand rolled into one with a hint of a plea in it. And something flickers over his face.

He nods. "There might be a bit more." He acknowledges.

"As in?" Serena prompts.

He takes a step towards her. "Let's go outside and—"

"As. In?" She repeats, her patience slipping.

"Serena—"

"As in _what, _Carter!?" She shouts now.

"As in a three-year separation clause," he responds on a rush.

And Serena stares at him. "A _what?" _She asks after a long moment.

"Three years," Carter answers simply, "Where we are… separate."

She gapes at him for another beat, before turning stormy, blue eyes onto Chuck.

And the four of them cringe. "That's the look that is not your friend," Nate whispers to the younger Chuck. And beside him, both girl's whisper _shh._

"You," the older Serena's says, her voice low, building up pressure no doubt, "Put a _three-year-separation-clause _in the contract?"

Chuck nods, face blank. "Yes. I can have a copy sent to you if like. Though your signature isn't required."

Serena blinks at him; like he's an alien life form speaking another language.

Blair touches her husband's arm, "Do you really think it's necessary that you do—"

"Yes," Chuck answers without looking over at her, "It is."

Serena's mouth opens to say something and then closes in silence. Her gaze stuck to Chuck's, disbelief written all over her expression—she is truly speechless.

"Perhaps—" Blair begins.

But Serena finds her voice then, cuts her off, and the brunette learned a long time ago to step back when Chuck and Serena are having a spat.

"Have you lost your _mind!?" _The blonde shouts at him.

"No," he answers her simply.

"Serena," Carter says and he's standing beside her then; reaching out and laying a hand on her arm, "We need to—"

She shrugs off his touch and takes another step towards Chuck, "Oh you _must _have, Chuck!" She continues angrily, "Because where the _hell _do you get off thinking you can control who is in or out of my life!?"

Chuck eyes her darkly. "Serena—"

"Because who the hell do you think you are!? You have absolutely no _right _to do shit like that!? To set terms in a Bass contract that affect my life in ways that—"

"I'm your _brother_, Serena," he cuts her off, "And I'm fuckin' tired of watching your life go up in flames every time he gets anywhere in the vicinity of you!"

"Now, that's not precisely accurate," Carter chimes in.

"Shut-up!" Serena shouts at him before glaring daggers at Chuck, "That is _not _what happens, and you know it!? This has nothing to do with Carter, and everything to do with me messing up BI's image of a happy family business!"

"Oh give me a fuckin' break, Serena, if I was worried about BI's image I'd have fired you six years ago! I'm doing this for your own good! You need to—"

"I'm not one of your kids, Chuck! I don't need you to do things for my own good! I can—"

"Then stop acting like one!" He shouts back, eyes sparking dangerously, "Name one time, _one _time, this chump has popped into your life that things haven't ended badly!?" He challenges.

"I don't need to justify my friends to you!"

"What you need is to stop—"

"Okay, enough!" It's Carter that snaps it; coming between them suddenly, his back to Chuck, his eyes on Serena. "Enough." He repeats it more softly, hands coming out to rest on each of her arms. "He offered it, yes." He tells her, "But I agreed. I'm the one who agreed." He reminds her.

And she stares at him, mouth closing, eyes losing that fire and filling with confusion.

"Come on," he says and turns her around. She lets him; is completely silent suddenly, as if she were speechless all over again.

Carter tosses a look over his shoulder at the dark-haired couple still standing there, "Mr. and Mrs. Bass," he offers, "_Always _ a pleasure."

And then he leads Serena towards the foyer.

There's no question about it. The four of them follow Carter and the older Serena without a moment's hesitation, without a word of comment, because there's a world spilling out of these arguments, these conversations, and one day it will all be their's.

They find the two outside, in the front yard, again. It's an echo of last night. The jag parked in front, the same man and the same woman, holding the same positions—but the feel is different, the mood has changed. There's anger and finality in their gazes now.

As the four of them descend the front steps, Serena slips her hand into Nate's—seeking the solace he's always offered her; and he holds it tight, shoots her a quick, supportive glance.

"… why _would_ you though?" The older Serena is asking Carter, and there's a bit of hurt in her voice.

"It's just three years, baby, it'll fly by," he tells her wryly.

"That's not the point, and you know it." She says a little sternly, "And I just—_why _would you agree to that?"

He ducks his head a little, looks at her through lowered lashes, "Because you're the best fake-real wife I've ever had."

It pulls a smile to her face, despite the stress in the lines of her body, "I'm the _only_ fake-real wife you've ever had," she teases and then narrows her eyes a bit teasingly, "Right?"

He nods; meets her gaze, "One and only, baby."

And there's nothing fake about the words.

Her smile turns sad even as she relaxes a little; she steps closer to him, reaches over and takes his hand. Their fingers intertwine and he smiles at her.

She sighs. "You know I love you, right."

He nods. "I know."

"It's just… different…"

"I know," he repeats gently.

She laughs a little, "We've had this conversation before…?"

"Twice," he tells her, "Thrice, now."

She's sure to meet his gaze when she says, "It's not true. My life doesn't go up in flames because of you."

"No, it's not," he agrees, "But I do happen to be in it a lot of the times it does." He says wryly.

"That doesn't mean anything. I don't need an imposed amount of time without your friendship. Despite what Chuck thinks, I can manage my life fairly well most of the time."

"I agree," he says; but then adds very gently, "But maybe I do."

Her eyes widen; the words sting. "Carter—"

He presses on, "Maybe it's time I stop finding what I look for, in you; time I stop turning to you."

There's a glimmer of tears in her eyes; and she goes to pull her hand a way, but he won't release it.

"It's not your doing," he tells her, "It's mine. And I—I need to stop. Life's too short to keep making the same turn over and over again when you know exactly where it leads—a beautiful cul-de-sac. And your life, it'll heal better, faster, if I'm out of the picture." He reaches up and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I'm being a responsible adult about this; don't talk me out of it."

She breathes a soft, watery laugh at the words.

He nods. "That's better. You know, I'm right… we'll be okay…" And releases her hand now, steps back a little, "And you'll see, time'll fly by…"

She stares at him for a long moment; works his words through her mind at different angles, different perspectives; knows she could talk him out of it, but he's asked her not to.

And she listens.

Instead she shakes her head, draws in a deep breath, "I can't believe you're agreeing with Chuck though."

And Carter laughs lightly, wags a finger at her and says, "He wanted five years."

Serena rolls her eyes in exasperation. Tries to find more amusement, but sighs instead as she meets his gaze, "I swear we say goodbye so much we should have a script by now."

"Don't we?"

She considers, and then smiles a bit, "Yeah, I guess so."

He nods, "I start with, call me if you need anything."

"And I say, you too."

"And I tell you you're beautiful and I mean it and goodbye."

"And I know, and I so do I and…" she trails off, can't say it yet.

He doesn't press her, slides right over it. "And then traditionally, I'd kiss you," Carter offers, "But given yesterday's little debacle, I'll refrain from doing so," he teases, looking around the front yard and street.

She smiles.

"You know, if you need me for something though, forget the stupid contract, just say so and I'll break it."

"You'll lose representation."

"I can find another."

"Yes, but Bass is the best." The words come automatically and she cringes as soon as she hears them out loud, says, "Don't tell him I said that," quickly, a tiny smile on her face.

He grins at her, "Secret's safe with me."

And she nods soberly, eyes warm on his face, "They always have been."

"Always will, too." He adds firmly.

And then he's opening the car door, slipping inside, closing it.

The car comes to life as he turns on the ignition and Serena takes a step away from. He looks up at her through the open window and smiles, "I'll see ya around, baby."

And she doesn't cry when the car takes off down the street a moment later, doesn't do anything really; just stands there and watches it until it disappears around the block and then she says very softly, "Bye Carter."

It's another moment before she turns around and walks back up the steps and into the house; and then Blair turns to her Serena with a frown, "Is he _actually _your _friend_?" she asks incredulously.

Serena frowns at her, "Yes! That's what I've been saying!"

Blair gapes at her then mutters, "Ugh," in quiet frustration as she turns to head up the steps, tugging Chuck along with her. He says loud for Serena to hear, "This is what I mean, _deplorable predilections." _

Serena rolls her eyes and turns to go back inside as well, when Nate squeezes her hand, "You good?" He wonders.

She nods as they walk. "Yeah, I guess… aside from the fact that Chuck apparently never stops meddling in my life and at some point I'm Carter's fake-real wife…"

"And his _real_-real wife too," Nate points out.

She nods, "I'm thinking those are two separate instances… probably."

Nate laughs a little, squeezes her hand again, "Life with you is never boring…!" He teases.

She bites her lip a little as they walk through the foyer, Chuck and Blair ahead, leading the way to the dining room, "Yeah, but maybe…" she says, giving him a sidelong glance, "Future-You _wants_ boring."

Nate shakes his head without hesitation as they walk along, "Nah, Future-Me is still me and I'd…" he pauses abruptly, realizes where he's going with that.

"You what?" Serena prods as they walk into the dining room from the den.

He shrugs, "I'd want you… exactly the way you are."

It's so simple and she loves it, him, for it. She beams; she knows it and doesn't even try to stop it, the smile stretching across her face, slow and pleased, and he smiles back, he's made her happy.

"It appears they began without you," Chuck says when Nate and Serena finally join him and Blair where they're standing at the head of the table.

The entire family, sans Nate, is seated and eating, chatting amicably with one another, the environment warm and pleasant. The older Serena smiles at everyone, says _smells wonderful! _and slips into her seat beside Blair.

Blair laughs, because the children are all watching intently, says with a smile, "It does! Need good food for such an exciting weekend, don't we!?"

Serena nods at the words, playing along, as she spreads her napkin over her lap and starts filling her plate with French Toast.

She pointedly avoids looking at Chuck who's at the other end of the table; and doesn't say a word to Blair as she pours syrup over her food. Liam is to her right and he's engaged in a conversation with Cash and Annie.

After her first mouthful of food, she leans towards Blair and whispers, "I want _words _with Chuck, tonight."

And it must have a sort of significance, that wording, because Blair's eyes slide closed for a moment. And then she nods, but doesn't look over at Serena, keeps her gaze focused on cutting her omelet up into small pieces, "Fine. But let's just— get through _brunch," _she says emphatically.

Serena nods, because they all have to admit— it's been a long morning.

It's hard to say who sees him first, or to hear exactly what is said among the many threads of conversation, but quite abruptly, the entire dining room plunges into silence.

Because Nate is standing at the entrance to the dining room, in the doorway, still wearing his jogging pants, t-shirt, and sneakers; and he's panting, dripping sweat onto the floor, hair plastered to his forehead—looking for all the world like he'd just run to Manhattan and back.

The look on his face does not invite words; every plane of it taunt with tension, jaw clenched, mouth pressed together in a straight line and when he starts walking forward.

Everyone's gaze follows him.

The blue of his eyes is so dark they appear black and they are fastened, completely and unerringly, on his wife.

He strides towards her without a single word to anyone and only Sunny dares call out a greeting; his joyful _Daddy! _echoing in the silent room.

"Later, Sunny," Nate says, voice low and gruff; not sparing his son a look, still watching his wife.

And then he's standing beside Serena's chair, extending his hand to her, as he says just as lowly and gruffly, "Let's talk."

Serena hesitates for a single moment; looking to her plate as indecision and wariness mix with longing and hope in a flash across her face.

And then she nods, lifts her napkin from her lap and sets it on the table as she lifts her eyes to her husband and places her hand in his.

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	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you as always for the reviews and PM's. And a special thank you this time for being so understanding about the delay. It's been a tough month for me and the family.

This chapter is once again mostly NS and delves a bit more into Serena's past (and the IF universe). Next chapter will be back to the usual mix of everyone. A big thanks to Jackie (Red Blood Kiss of Death) for her read-through.

I hope you enjoy, thanks for reading!

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"Let's," she agrees in the calmest voice she can muster as he tugs her to her feet. There's no sound as the Archibald's leave the dining room; the family's eyes following them as they walk towards the kitchen.

Another beat passes and then Sunny speaks, breaking the spell of silence, "Is Daddy— is he mad?" He wonders to the room at large, a waver his voice as he continues, "Mommy was sad and now— and now Da—Dad's mad and—and I don't like it and—"

"He's not mad, Sunny," his Uncle Chuck tells him very firmly.

Sunny shifts in his seat to look down the table at his Uncle. The boy's bottom lip is puckered out and his blue eyes are wide, because if there's anything Sunny likes less than people being sad it was when they were mad. People were so different when they were mad.

"Your Mommy and Dad just have things to talk about, baby," his Auntie B tells him sweetly, "That's all."

But there's a notable absence of conversation from the other kids— they all know better, know more— and Sunny can sense that.

"Another grown-up talk?" He asks her carefully, looking a touch skeptical; his fair brows drawn together.

His aunt stares at him, licks her lips as she readies herself to respond; but it's Liam who speaks.

"Exactly that," the teen assures his baby brother.

Sunny draws in a deep breath, "But he was mad and—"

"He wasn't," Annie corrects Sunny gently, "It just looked that way because he was in concentration— but he wasn't mad. Don't be worry about it…" she pauses a moment and then smiles a little, adds, "Come have some of my of French toast, you finished all yours and I have too much…"

Sunny considers her for a moment and then he nods, slips off his seat to run around and climb into Annie's lap. "Okay, I'll help you!"

Greg nods as the boy settles himself on his sister's legs; grins at him widely, "And you can tell me about these new friends of yours…" he prods, "I hear they're sorta special…"

Sunny's poking at Annie's French toast with her fork, lifting a huge piece to his mouth. But he pauses to look up at Greg. "Oh. Well. They're invisible…" he begins and then stuffs the piece into his mouth.

"You should follow, Serena, go on."

Blair's voice makes the young blonde start, her gaze darting from where she'd been staring at the kitchen doorway to her friend's face.

Blair shifts her look to Nate— he's watching Serena not the doorway, but she knows the case is the same so she says, "You too, Nate," firmly and with a small hand motion.

Serena glances to the table at Blair's words, her eyes going to Sunny— who is explaining how his invisible friends look like his Mommy and his Auntie B and his Dad...

She swallows hard, shakes her head a little as she answer Blair, "We should—"

"Chuck and I will stay," Blair cuts in, reaches out and touches her friends arm gently.

Chuck arcs an eyebrow. "We will?"

Nate frowns a bit. "But that's splitting up."

Both boys speak simultaneously, but Blair doesn't spare either of them a glance. Her eyes are fixed on Serena's as she says carefully, "You need to..." she trails off for a moment before finishing steadily, "To see…"

Serena blinks, shifts her gaze from Sunny and meets the eyes of her best friend. Blair is staring at her intently, warm brown eyes fixed on her with precision, encouraging and strong. And Serena draws from that strength, nods, doesn't argue with her, because it's true; this _is_ something she needs to see, to know about herself.

She looks to Nate then, says, "Come with me?" Her anxious blue eyes fixed on his face.

Nate blinks at her, says, "Of course," without even considering that a moment ago he'd argued for staying together.

"Go," Blair prods again, "We'll watch Sunny to remind him to ask about the necklace…"

And then Serena nods again, turns, and pulls Nate along with her as they leave the dining room.

Behind them, Blair leans into Chuck. "They need this. So yes we will," she answers quietly. He sighs, says, "Know-it-all," teasingly as he wraps his arms around her to pull her closer-- without the worry of being teased for it later.

Serena leads Nate quickly into kitchen, through it, and towards the back door. They walk outside into the yard, blinking a little against the onslaught of sunlight.

And then Nate tugs her arm a little, slows them down as he sends her a sidelong look.

"Hey," he says gently, "Whatever happens with them— it's not real_, _it's not _us_, okay," he reminds her, voice low and reassuring; this dream or hallucination or whatever it is, it's already upset her so much… and he really doesn't want to see her in tears again.

She smiles a little as they walk along, the edges of it sad; her gaze fixed forward, on the figures they can see up ahead. "It could be real, Nate," she says to him softly, "I could wan—" she cuts herself off, is hesitant to voice the wish out loud, that anything in this crazy, messed up life could appeal to her; so she shakes her head and repeats instead, "It could be real, could be us..."

And she could want it-- if this, _them, _could be fixed; if it turned out she hadn't ruined Nate's life… then maybe she could—maybe this could…

She lets the thought trail off, sighs softly instead.

Nate sends her a quick look, but she's looking forward, not at him; and he doesn't know what to say, so he doesn't say anything— it's a bitterly familiar circumstance.

They don't speak again as they catch up to their older selves— the married couple is drawing closer to the pool now, walking almost to the spot where the older Serena alone had sat earlier in the morning.

"They're still holding hands," Nate says to her, finding something to say, "That's a good sign…"

Serena nods silently, looks down at their own joined hands; smiles again, amused this time, because for something they didn't do very often, it felt oddly familiar, to walk around linked like this…

And then, just as if their older forms had heard them, the two simultaneously release each other.

"Spoke too soon," she whispers softly to him; and Nate squeezes her hand in response—a silent, _we're still okay. _

They're standing facing the couple who are standing facing each other. They've walked to the pool as if somehow drawn by the water and now they're just standing on the tile, beside the edge, watching each other—silent and still.

And Nate is thinking he's going to pull Serena back into that house in the next minute because he can _feel _her getting more anxious by the moment and she doesn't have to put herself through this—

And that is when the older Serena speaks, breaking the silence with soft, wry words.

"That was some run…" she says, the words hesitant, "That you went on."

The stillness remains between them, stifling and oppressive, despite the words. The air around them is stagnant, the yard completely devoid of noise, and for a moment, they both wonder if he even heard her, if he's going to respond at all or if he's going to— and just then he does.

"Helps me think." He says the words dully, barely an invitation at conversation.

But his wife takes them up anyway, responds, voice low, as if that could hide the tremor of fear in it, "And what did you think of?"

Her question is met with silence. And it stretches for a long a moment, spins around them as a breeze rustles the leaves of tall trees and sunshine glimmers off of the turquoise pool water.

"You don't want a divorce," he states, finally; and said like that, flat and lacking inflection, the words sound a mockery.

She winces, his wife, but the moment passes and then she draws in a deep breath and says steadily, "No, I don't."

There's no pause this time, "Then explain it to me," he says, "Make me understand." The demand is quiet, ending almost tersely; leaving the air expectant with the words left unsaid.

And she stares at him, eyes wide, silent.

He shakes his head a little, heat slipping into his words, the blankness leaving them as the tension in his face gives way. "Explain to me what it was you thought you were doing? How you thought _lying_ to me, _tricking _me, to run off and be Carter's _wife _again could end in anything but that?"

"Nate—"

"If you _want _to be his wife, Serena, I'm not going to stop you," he presses, voice still low; his eyes affixed to her face as he adds darkly, "Though that does beg the question of why you got divorced in the first place doesn't it? Should we just chalk it up to the Serena-Way?"

There's acid in the tone, the words meant to burn, and they do. Hurt flashes across her face, "I don't," she tells him, "He and I aren't like that anymore— that's not what—"

"Then explain it to me," he repeats, cutting her off.

Her mouth snaps shut, eyes dropping from his face for a moment.

The space between them is silent for a beat and then he continues; tone shifting again, leaving the anger behind as he says, "Make me understand why you would do this. Why you'd…" he trails off, voice rippling with a touch of bewilderment.

She lifts her eyes to his face, her hands come up too, in a gesture of helplessness, "I— he— he needed my—"

"I know what Carter needed," Nate interrupts, holding out one hand in a stalling motion as he watches her, "I know about the will, the stability clause, the sham you two put on."

She blinks; startling a little. "You… know? But how did—? When did—?"

"Does it matter?" Nate snaps, angry suddenly, "Does it change anything that happened between _us? _You _deceived_ me._" _

Serena shrinks back a little at the fury in his voice, the hurt in his gaze, "God Nate, don't say—"

"Why not? You _did_."

"But I—"

He shakes his head. "Explain it to me," he says again.

And again she falls silent.

"Make me understand…" for a moment he trails off; and he's watching her so intently, so steadily, it's a wonder she can bear the weight of those darkened, blue eyes, "Because for us to… to stay… I need to understand why… why you did it… why you ran like that— from _me," _a pause, and then, "Make me understand, Serena."

There's no disguising the plea in the tone, its laden with it, with the longing for her to do it; to make sense of this for him, because he wants nothing more than her, than them, always. It's a naked request, and there's as much yearning in his voice for it as there is in her eyes for it. For him to understand, for this to slip into the past so they can move forward together.

They're both silent.

He looks away from her, gaze going beyond her to the surface of the pool. He's finished, nothing more to say, nothing to add; the ball is in her court.

It always is.

Serena nods once at him then, like she'd done as she'd taken his hand in the dining room, and then she kicks off her sandals and sits down on the tile; legs crossed under herself, still facing her husband.

He starts a little at her movement, eyes widening a bit at her actions— and then he moves to lower himself down onto the tile as well, sits cross-legged too, facing her.

The poses echo exactly those of the younger pair earlier that morning and the two exchange a quick look of surprise before returning their attention to their counterparts.

"I don't know what to say to you, Nate," she tells him finally, voice quiet, sad, "I don't know that I _can _make you understand, that _I _understand it myself…" she says the words slowly, barely to be heard and the stillness between them returns.

Her gaze is fastened on the hands she's twisting in front of herself; his is fastened on her face, dark blue eyes roving over her features.

"Was it— did I…" he begins after a moment, almost hesitantly, "Do something…to make you think— feel, that you couldn't… trust me, couldn't come to me with anything that—"

Her head lifts sharply, eyes widening as she shakes her head, "Wha-- no! That's not— _no…_" she says quickly.

And then just as quickly and abruptly her eyes cloud with tears, "It's me…_" _she says, voice pained, "It's _me. _Everything I— I touch… it just… it… _crumbles_…"

A tear slips from one of her eyes then and she wipes at her cheek quickly.

Nate watches her for a moment, swallows hard and then says softly, "Don't— don't say that," as he averts his gaze from those tears.

"It's _true," _she says emphatically; another tear slipping free, another quick wipe to dash it away. "I mean, look at this… at what I've done to— to us…"

He sighs, says, "Serena—" but still can't quite look at her.

"Come on Nate," she continues hardly pausing, "I mean you and me… I ruined you and me— and we're—" she shakes her head, a hand coming up in a helpless motion as a soft, breathy, completely humorless laugh escapes her, "Who wouldn't have put money on us? Huh? I mean, we're— _us._"

There's heartbreak in the words. And like the older Nate, the younger pair can't quite look at the older Serena. There's too much grief there; guilt and blame warring with regret to mar the woman's beautiful features.

"Serena…?" Nate says his wife's name again, a question uncompleted as he trails off, shifting his gaze back to her.

They watch each other for a moment, the air between them tremulous with emotion. Nate shakes his head a little, "I need you to tell me—" he cuts himself off, starts over, "I don't… I don't want to be what you run from, okay...? That's not—"

Serena's reaction is vehement. "You're not! God Nate, you're…" she shakes her head, "You're_ not," _she adds emphatically. "I just… I know how you feel about Carter and I— I didn't want to— to hurt you…" she finishes; and the irony is too great for her to meet his gaze.

Nate makes a quiet, angry sound as he shifts in his place; as if bristling, "Right—of course— protect my feelings, because I can't take the truth, is that it?"

"Nate—"

"You always do that— Blair too, even Chuck— you act like somehow I need protection from things, need things sugarcoated or rationalized for me," he was scowling at her now, back rigid with tension, "I don't need to be protected Serena, I don't need _guidance_; what I _need _is for the people around me, my friends, my _wife, _to be _honest _with me, to—"

"It's not like that! We—_I _don't think that," she contradicts, shaking her head, "I just… I do things and—"

"Right," he cuts in, voice still hard, still furious, "Things like _Dan_."

Serena's mouth snaps shut and a bit of a glare appears on her own face, "That was different."

"Seems alarmingly similar to me," he snaps.

"It was different," she insists, jaw clenching a little, "You _know_ that."

"I know you lasted six years with Henry and only four with me."

Serena blows out a breath, brows drawing together, "Don't! Don't do that! Not you! You _know _better! That's not— Henry, he— he and I… we…" she trails off for a moment before adding, "We never had what you and I have."

Nate's ire turns disbelieving and it's a hard sight to witness. "And what do we _have_, Serena?"

The younger Nate tugs his Serena's hand, "Let's just go back inside…" he whispers to her. But she doesn't so much as look over at him, doesn't move; her gaze is glued to their older visages and she has no plans to move. He sighs very softly and turns his gaze from her to their older selves.

The older Serena blinks at her husband, his question reverberating in the quiet air.

"Everything," she answers quietly, "We have everything."

He stares at her for a long beat; and she stares back.

"How can you say that," he says, "And still do what you—"

"Because it's the truth…" she says emphatically, "There's no comparison. What happened—"

"You forget who you're talking to, Serena." Nate interrupts, voice level, eyes steady, "I was there. I remember the reason you gave for spending a weekend in a hotel room with Dan Humphrey," and the words turn low then, oddly dark, as he continues, "It was too perfect, you said, it was suffocating you." He pauses there and there's a touch of sadness in his voice as he continues, "As far as I can tell, we're pretty perfect too."

She shakes her head, "No, Nate. Not like that— we're different… Henry and I… when we met, I was— I wasn't…" she trails off for a moment and then starts over, "You remember after we graduated high school…?"

He blinks at the question even as the younger Nate and Serena start a little. "What does that—"

"Remember I spent that summer with Carter, he was helping me look for my Dad…"

Nate sighs. "Bringing up Carter is not—"

"And I didn't find him; he didn't let himself be found—"

"Yes Serena, I remember, what does that—"

"Stop it!" She snaps suddenly, eyes narrowed on his face, "You want me to explain, then _let_ me." There's a breath of a pause before she continues, "Let me tell you… why this _isn't, _why it _can't _be like it was with Henry…" she says heatedly, "That summer, after graduation, I was completely out of control. I was all over the tabloids, did nothing but party and get myself _seen. _Remember?"

He presses his lips together for a moment in annoyance; before saying, "Yes Serena, I recall, but what does—"

"Because—" she cut herself off, started over, "Remember graduation, when—"

"Our _high school _graduation?" He interrupts again, voice incredulous.

"_Yes_," she answers determinately, "Remember Gossip Girl—"

Nate's expression is a picture of disbelief, "Are you kidding me?" He says exasperatedly, "You want to talk about—"

"She said I was irrelevant—"

He huffs a little. "Serena that was _high school, _it_—"_

"And when my own father made himself impossible for me to find that's exactly how I felt. So when I got back to the city I spent my time trying to prove that I wasn't— being everywhere that _mattered_, being talked about and followed—I needed to matter then, to prove it."

He's staring at her, blinking confusedly, "Okay…" he says, drawing the word out, "Fine. But what does—"

"It didn't make any difference, Nate," she tells him fervently, "It didn't change anything— being talked about or photographed— I was still so scared of passing favor, of what came next—I was Serena Van der Woodsen and the world was watching me so they'd see me fade and I—I'd rather disappear completely, suddenly, then fade away in public," she explained, "So that's what I did. I went to Brown and I blended in— I wasn't trying to make myself better and I wasn't throwing caution to the wind… I just went to class and smiled and drank coffee and did my homework and then I—I met Henry and he… he made it so easy to be… to be just… normal— regular. He didn't know about old Serena's or new; about my mixed up family or my old friends… he just knew that me—sweet and simple and easy…" she trails off then, eyes glazing over a little, looking beyond him.

Nate sighs. "I don't see how this is supposed to—"

"And that's how it was for a long a time," she picks up again, her voice sliding over his, "Sweet and simple and easy—and Liam came and everything was so, so perfect…" her voice was tainted with sadness now, her gaze still fixed beyond Nate.

He looks about to speak again when her voice slips into the quiet space between them, "But I'm not sweet and simple and easy—" she tells him, as if he didn't know, "Not all the time…" her gaze sharpens suddenly onto his face, on his eyes as she adds, "Sometimes… I'm a mess."

They stare at each other then; because there are some things you never forget.

They're silent for a beat and then Serena resumes. "When Dan was in the city that day..."

"You went to see him," Nate points out before she can finish. Because it's important, she _went _to Dan, the way she'd _gone _to Carter.

She blinks, then sighs a little, "Yeah, I did…" she admits softly, shrugging a little as she continues, "There were a lot of reasons why I did that and I know they don't all… hold up well, but at the time I just—I told myself I wanted to see an old friend, that I _should _go see him, that he'd been through a lot… and those were good enough reasons even if inside I really— I just…"

"Missed the mess," he says for her when she trails off.

She nods a little, doesn't quite meet his gaze as she presses on, "He was… so different, Jenny's death changed him so much and I—"

"She was his sister Serena, what did you expect?"

"Oh god."

It's the first sound the younger Serena has made and Nate's quick to squeeze her hand, to blink past the shock rippling over him at the older woman's soft and casual words.

"Nate," his Serena whispers to him, looking away from their older counterparts for the first time since they'd begun speaking, "Oh _god_, Nate…" she murmurs, eyes wide on his face.

And he doesn't know what to say; because _this isn't real _doesn't seem comforting enough right then— and because maybe there'd always been a little bit of falseness to the words… because maybe there's a part of him that's _wants_ this to be real— problems and fighting and angry, but together nonetheless…

"I know…" the older Serena says quickly; and they both look away from each other, focus back on the adults, unable to discuss this part of their future just yet.

"I know that," the woman continues, "That's why I… at first, I went with him because I wanted to—to… help him, the way he had me, but—"

Nate sighs roughly, frustration slipping over his features. "Yeah, okay fine. I don't need an analysis of your interlude with Dan. I—"

"—but I stayed because I shouldn't have," Serena talks over him, "Because it'd been so long since I'd done something I shouldn't have." Her eyes were fixed on him steadily as she admitted it, "I'd been sweet and simple and easy for so long—and Dan reminded me of when I'd tried harder, of a time when I'd always been teetering on the edge of mess. And I wanted it."

He's staring at her in silence again.

And Serena continues, "That feeling. So I took it." She makes a little wavy-hand motion, "I don't have to tell you that I paid for it—you remember 2021, save for Gracie, not my best year." She stops there, looks away from him completely, turning her head to look towards the pool house. "Henry didn't deserve that," she adds quietly. "The way the media— I should have been more careful about…" she trails off without finishing the sentence; they're old regrets, no longer needing to be voiced.

Nate glowers a little, but its old heat and not directed at Serena. "Dan should have drunk less." He snaps.

She shifts her gaze back towards him; the bright blue of her eyes calm as she remembers past transgressions, "He was grieving—angry. He didn't mean to… he just forgot the pulse of the city, the way we're always watched, forgot to be—"

"—to keep his fuckin' mouth shut."

Serena shrugs again, a little tightly this time. It's an old conversation, the looks and expressions they're giving each other worn. "You know how upset he was when it came out, when he realized he'd been the one to do leak it… it turned into another point to add to his _Why-I-hate-New-York-City _list."

Nate scoffed a little, "It wasn't the city that killed Jenny, it was her insistence on living like a—"

"He needed something to blame."

"You should have let me punch him in the face."

A flicker of a smile crosses her features, "Like it would have ended with a punch in the face."

"Worst possible time for him to take a job."

Serena shrugs again. "He needed out of New York, you know that; only came back for the funeral… he stayed because of me, but he couldn't miss that opportunity…" Nate doesn't look convinced, will _never _be convinced, but Serena still adds as she always does that, "It was a good thing he didn't miss it; he won the—"

"Your divorce, that he played a huge factor in, had been final for less than two months and his daughter was an infant. I don't give fuck what award he won for that piece—there're things you _don't do." _

Nate's voice is implacable.

And Serena flinches as if struck. "Like leave your five month old daughter with your brother and best friend to roam around Europe, you mean?"

Nate starts, surprised. "No, I didn't—"

Her sad laugh cuts into his words. "I know I wasn't good to her those first few years—neither was Dan. He had his work and I… I was—"

"With Carter." Nate says and the surprise is gone from his features. The tight expression is slipping back over his face, the line of his jaw clenching, "Provided you with a nice alternative to sweet and simple, didn't he?"

Her chin lifts then; she's not going to deny it. "Yes. Carter's always made me free to be flighty and wild… it was refreshing, rejuvenating… but it didn't last, _couldn't _last." She said firmly, "Can't _ever _because I always settle and he never does."

Nate just stares at her.

"He helped me. I don't—I don't think you realized because I know—we weren't too close— and you were married and things were getting rocky for you and Vanessa then, but… I was really… bad. And he helped me… he really does care about me you know, we're—"

"Yes, Serena. Let's talk about how much Carter loves you and how close you two are—that's exactly what I want to hear right now." He hisses, fire flashing in those dark blue eyes… along with a thread of jealousy.

Serena's eyes flash too. "I'm trying to explain something to you!"

"I don't want to hear about you and Carter!"

"Of course not! Why would you!? You already know everything, don't you!? What'd you do Nate? Borrow Chuck's PI's?"

He glares at her, stands in one swift motion. "If I'd hadChuck's PI's I wouldn't have been _blindsided_ by my wife's _adultery!"_ He growls, "Did he _refresh _and_ rejuvenate _you again this time, Serena?!" The words are hurled at her, eyes hard as stone before he turns away from her, starts moving back to the house.

"Oh no," the younger Serena says softly, a hand coming up to her mouth.

Nate sighs and looks over at her. "Let's just go inside—"

"I don't need that with you."

His wife's words stop the older Nate's progress; but he doesn't turn back around.

"Being with you is never that sort of exhausting, Nate," she continues, voice low. She's standing now too, hands clenched in front of her the way they'd been while she'd sat. "It's actually the only rest I've ever known."

The words are so low; the younger pair have to take a step towards the older woman to hear her.

Her husband doesn't move.

"You see all of me, sweet and uncomplicated, striving and steady, fun and wild… so when I'm with you, I can just… be."

The confession is a wisp of air on the summer breeze; and he turns around then, to look at her. There's more space between them now, she's closer to the pool, still on the tile; he standing the grass. The hot air and lack of exertion had begun to dry his hair, returning it to its tarnished gold color.

"And still, you acted alone, didn't come to me with the truth. You lied to me, fled the country, accused _me _of leaking those pictures…"

"I have no idea how the media got them, Nate," She says, taking a step towards him, "I was careful, my false documentations are flawless. I _know _I wasn't tracked—"

He scoffs. "Right. So _I _did it. For all you know, _Carter _could have done it; could be the one being tracked…"

She huffs. "He wouldn't! And who would be tracking him!?"

"I don't know and I don't _care," _Nate snarls.

They're silent after that; tension undulating between them.

"And then, on top of that," Nate picks up his listing again, "I send you divorce papers and you wait _two weeks _to come address that?"

The touch of incredulity in his voice does little to hide the hurt in it.

She licks her lips. "I tell you I'm sorry and you send me divorce papers," she counters sadly.

He sighs. "I can't—this isn't…" he shakes his head a little, "You didn't _trust _me, Serena." And the tension seeps away then, leaves behind weariness and sorrow. "You tell me this isn't like with Henry, fine_. _But you still lied to me to get away from me… so how can I… trust you?"

A slow build up of tears begins to fill her eyes then, the silence weighing heavily around them. The tears glimmer in her eyes as she draws in a deep, shuddering breath. "You know," she says carefully, "He… before… Carter helped me," she says again; bypassing Nate's question.

He sighs; looks exhausted and about to speak again before she presses on.

"But you healed me," she tells him seriously, "You were so _good _to me when I decided to patch my life back together. When I decided I needed that divorce from him, that he and I weren't working; another to add to my tally—but you said it didn't matter, you said I was doing well at Bass, that I could teach Gracie to love me, that I could regain Liam's trust—you just knew I could do it, just like that, because I wanted to."

He's not sure what that little speech means; how he's supposed to respond to it. It conjures memories of years ago, when his own first marriage had already dissipated and taking care of Serena had been a familiar glove to slip into.

"You helped me move into that condo, remember?" She says, "And we assembled that princess bed from hell."

He nods slowly, frowning at her a little; not sure where all this was going now.

"And you told me that Liam loved me and he'd forgive me, he'd trust me again, if I just showed him that I was there, that I loved and trusted him back."

She stares at him then; and he's not certain if he can truly draw the parallel she's making… he's not a child the way Liam was then and even despite that, she's just betrayed the boy's trust again hasn't she….

She takes a step towards him, and then another, and then another until she is standing right in front of him.

"We're not just _pretty perfect, _Nate," she presses on, even in the face of his silence, "We _are_ perfect. We forget appointments and laugh too much and give the staff too many days off so our house's is a mess; we let our kids go to bed late and watch horror movies with us and we tuck them in tight and we sleep in late and we—we're _perfectly us," _she says fervently, "And I was so scared of ruining that… I had to help him, I wanted to help him, but I was so terrified of—of exactly what did happen…" she finishes.

He's silent a moment and then he takes a step forward too; comes closer, close enough to see the crystalline tears still swimming in her eyes.

"It's not enough," he says, voice pitched precisely as low as hers, "To just see all those parts of you, Serena. I need to know that they're all mine, the way everything I am is yours. I can't think that some part of you is just for Cart—"

"But you _do. _God Nate, you do have everything— you— everything _is_… you," she rushes in to say, takes another step towards him. They're close enough to touch then, even thought they don't; less than an arms length between as she says, "I _love _you."

He swallows hard, released a puff of a breath as he muses, "Do you have any idea how long I've loved you?"

He goes on before she can speak, voice sadly wondering, "But you've forever just— slipped through my fingers, just a half-step too fast to catch up to, a moment's too quick…"

"I'm right _here, _Nate," she says emphatically as she edges a bit closer to him, still not touching, "I'm not running, I won't slip away. I'm right here with you."

His expression softens a little, he sighs, "Serena—"

But she's looking into his face earnestly then; and speaks over him, wonders, "How long?"

His mouth snaps shut.

And they can see Serena forcing herself to be brave. "How long have you loved me?"

He's completely still for a long moment, his eyes drifting slowly over her face; the younger pair's breaths are held, they're joined hands unconsciously clenched—waiting for these mirrors to show them the truth; to see if it _could _ want this to be real…

And then the older Nate licks his lips, a ghost of a smile hovering over them as he sighs, "Feels like my whole life sometimes…" he says the words gently, an odd caress.

Her tears spill at the words; slip down her cheeks silently. "Then don't stop now…" her hands come up to his chest then, clench desperately around the fabric of his t-shirt, "Please, Nate… _please…" _she whispers, voice tight, sobs restrained, "Don't stop now…"

And he watches her for another moment; the pleading eyes and the slow tears, the way the sun makes her hair shimmer, the way her jaw is clenched to keep her lip from trembling.

And he loves her.

He always has.

"Okay Serena," he says, voice still gentle as a hand comes up to her face; wipes at her tears, "Okay…"

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	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the wonderful comments! I really appreciate each one. I'm behind with responding to them, due to things I've had to make-up from my hiatus, but I'm really glad to have your thoughts on the chapters. :D I'm also behind on all S3 episodes, so please, please don't spoil me in your reviews. ;)

Hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading.

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His hand on her cheek slips into her hair and the sob she'd been holding back slides out soft and choked. She steps into him, her hands still gripping his shirt, her face pressing into his shoulder.

And he sighs, wraps both arms around her, turns his face into her hair.

She turns her face too, whispers, _"Yeah?"_ a little fearfully against ear; seeking confirmation, tone not yet completely hoping…

And he closes his eyes, tightens his hold a little as he whispers back, "Yeah." Because he's not sure he _can_ stop anyway, and trying to has been tearing him to pieces for weeks now.

There's another quiet sob then; her face turned back into his shoulder. And he holds her, silently, without telling her to stop.

"I'm sorry," she gasps after a long moment of silent tears, "I'm so sorry…"

He nods, starts rubbing her back gently; says again, "Okay…"

And she falls quiet, her tears soaking into his t-shirt.

When she starts to shake, he pulls back a little, says, "Hey…" softly, looking over at her tear-streaked profile.

She nods, draws in a deep breath as she lifts her face from his shoulder, but there's a trembling to her that makes him frown, makes him realize his t-shirt is still clenched in her hands. "Serena…" he says her name gently.

She nods again, but isn't looking into his face. She's sniffling and drawing in gulps of air even as he watches another tear slide down one of her cheeks.

"Calm down…" he begins.

And she looks right into his eyes then, says, "I'm _sorry," _again with a tremor in her voice and another tear slipping free.

He stares at her for a moment; and then he nods, brings his hands down to cover hers and gently rubs at them, "I know…" he tells her quietly and realizes then that he _does. _Can see how much torment this has brought her too.

He tugs at her hands lightly to get her to release him. "Just cal—"

She hides her face in his shoulder again, arms falling to her sides, still shaking, "So sorry…" she repeats, the words muffled against his shirt.

"Okay…" he tells her, rubbing at her arms now, "Just calm down…"

But she's not calming down; the breaths are still erratic and the tears are still flowing.

"Okay, let's… sit for a sec," he says, concerned. He guides her down with him as he lowers himself to the edge of the tile.

"… _forgive_ me…" she whispers as they sit on their bottoms; lifting her face to look into his even as she is still pressed to his shoulder.

He starts a little at the words, arms still around her; looks into her eyes for a moment before bringing a hand up to brush at the hair that's fallen in her face, strands of it sticking to her wet cheeks.

"Please…" she continues brokenly, "I know that I— but I want—I just—I want things to go back…" a deep intake of breath, "Back to the way they were—I'm so sorry and I…" she trails off, big, wet blue eyes fixed on his face, "I love you so much and I know you love me too but I—I need you to—I want so much for things to—to go back to how they were…"

He stares at her for a moment; can feel the way she's shaking.

She wants it.

For him to forgive her.

For things to go back to the way they were.

And it's a tall order… because he can still feel the _shock _of seeing those pictures… the confusion and disbelief and _pain _of it…

She's watching him, and she wants it— and he's never not given her something she wanted... but this time…

"I know," he tells her softly as he touches her cheek gently, "I know you do… and I—" he cuts himself off before he can say _I do too_, because he's suddenly not exactly sure what he wants… the way things were led to this and _this _is something he never wants to be in again. "And they… they probably will… eventually…"

It's the best he can do right now; an _I forgive you, _if not quite yet an _I trust you. _

But she's nodding then, lip wobbling, and tears spilling, taking what he's offering with a greedy hopefulness.

He sighs a little, tugs her closer; his free hand slipping around her waist.

And her face goes back into his shoulder as she turns into him, her arms coming around him to his back, clinging to the fabric of his t-shirt again. It takes him a moment to realize she's crying again; or maybe still…?

"Hey," he says softly, his forehead pressing against her hair, "You gonna stop crying soon…?" He says it lightly, but there's a thread of _please _in it. He hates to see her cry.

She makes a smothered sound into his shoulder, half-way between a sob and a laugh, and then whispers, "I'm trying."

He smiles a little. "You're getting my t-shirt wet…"

She nods against him; doesn't deny it or stop.

"And snotty."

She manages to shove him back a little and still remain attached to him; gives a wet and breathy laugh. She doesn't let go though, and he thinks maybe she can't just yet.

So he holds her, wraps both arms around her; takes in the feel of her in his arms and the scent of her hair against his nose. He closes his eyes too, because maybe she has the right idea— to just be quiet and still and together…

He feels it, when she begins to unwind, the way she relaxes in his hold inch by inch; feels his own tension seep away with hers, as if she were sweeping it away too. Her fingers loosen around the fabric of his shirt, start to smooth it down, her hands rubbing his back in small circles, soothing and affectionate.

And he realizes they're just sitting on the tile by the pool, under sun just, hugging— and it's probably the best thing he's done all month.

She turns her face then, lays her head on his shoulder instead of against it. Her nose pressing under his jaw. "I missed you," she says, lips moving against his neck.

He nods a little. "I missed you too," he admits.

She's silent for a moment and then says again, "I love you."

"I love you more," he replies without thought.

She pulls back at the words and he lets her. She straightens and looks into his eyes. Her hands come up to his face, one on either side so they're framing it, and she shakes her head at him, wisps of her blonde of hair waving in front of her, "Not possible," she says firmly.

It's a game they've played before— Sunny enjoys it tremendously— _how much more do you love me?_ They'll ask each with a grin after a casual exchanging of _I love you _and _I love you more._

He doesn't think now is the time to play this game.

Still, he waits for her to add it. _I love you the moon and stars and sunlight more, _is her favorite— makes Sunny giggle with delight… makes him grin, because it's adorable and silly and utterly _her._

But she doesn't say anything more; just watches him, leaves it at that, at '_not possible,' _her gaze telling him she's not playing a game this time.

Her steady blue eyes fixed on him, her hands warm on his face, her smooth voice still filling his ears.

And he loves her then. He feels it wash over him, fierce and powerful like a punch to the gut, the way it had been when he'd been a boy; devoted to a brilliant and untamable girl, she'd mesmerized him… so full of joy and laughter…

His hands come up to wrap around her wrists and he tugs her hold from his face, slides her hands to wrap around his neck and then he slips his arms around her— kisses her; slow and sweet and _I love you most._

She edges closer to him, almost frantically, nearly climbing into his lap.

"I think…" the younger Serena says after a beat of watching their future selves kissing, "… that they're going to… to be okay." Her voice is soft, a little hesitant and a little amused—and a lot relieved.

Nate huffs a small laugh, watching the couple as well. "Uh, yeah, looks like..." and the amusement in his voice is more in response to Serena than their older counterparts.

She sends him a sidelong glance, "And you called it— that they would be…" she points out. Because he had; he'd been certain from the beginning that it would work out with their future selves, that his older self would listen to her, that Serena hadn't ruined his life…

He shrugs a little, says, "Yeah," again as he looks over at her.

She looks into his face, studies him for a moment and then she grins, teases, "Aren't you going to say 'I told you so?' Has Blair taught you nothing?"

And he laughs a little as his head ducks a bit, eyes her with a twinkling, blue gaze as he says obligingly, "I told you so…"

She laughs too, gives his hand a squeeze, "How'd you know?" She asks the question without thinking and the answer comes to her as soon as the words leave her mouth.

His gaze flits away from her face; and heat flushes her cheeks as the older Nate's words fill her mind.

_Do you have any idea how long I've loved you?_

They'd spoken of a lot of things— their future selves— of broken marriages and regrettable mistakes; and of a perfectly messy life and a love that spanned decades.

"Nate…" she starts, unsure of what to say. Because despite this future that's been spinning and unfolding before them— this, _them, _is in the past.

But he looks over at her abruptly when she says his name; his blue eyes colliding with hers as he shrugs and says almost casually, "It's not like it's a secret, right?"

And she starts; feels her eyes widen and her skin prickle with surprise at the words. "What!?"

He doesn't look away; and she's suddenly completely aware of the warmth of his hand surrounding hers, of the wryness glinting in his gaze, and the twist of his full lips. "He said it," Nate tells her simply, inclining his head towards where their future selves sat.

She doesn't look over.

Because Nate's voice, _'feels like my whole life sometimes,' _echoes around them then and she feels her mouth go dry. She pulls her hand free instinctively, because they don't talk about this, they don't think about it…

There's a flash of hurt on his face at her movement and he looks away, the wry twist of his lips fading.

There's a beat and then she speaks, reminds him, "You have a girlfriend," because he _always did._

And his gaze swings back to her at the words; fast and stunned, because… was _that _the problem? He's opening his mouth to speak when a there's a hiss from the older Serena.

She says, "_Ow,_" then on a tiny, breathy laugh and they both look over.

She was underneath her husband, her legs wrapped around his waist, dress riding up her legs; he was leaning over her, one arm wrapped around her, the other supporting their combined weight. She had let her head drop down onto the tile and he was following her down, his mouth moving over hers, going to her jaw, to her neck…

"S'hard…" she breathes as she arcs into him, closing her eyes and pressing her body closer to his, "… the tile…"

Her husband offers a quiet, "Hm…" as a response and she slides a hand into his hair; slides the smooth strands through her fingers as his hand slides the straps of her dress off her shoulder.

"Have they been kissing this whole—"

But the younger Serena's question is interrupted by her older self's quiet laugh, "m'serious…" she tells him, "… roll us..."

Nate doesn't lift his head from his wife's though, his lips moving back up to her face and the woman smiles; her eyes still closed. He drops onto his shoulder turns her to him so they're lying facing each other, shoulders digging into the hard white ceramic.

"Missed you," she whispers as their legs intertwine, "_This." _

"Too long…" he agrees huskily.

"22 days," she tells him.

"We should go," Nate tells his Serena when his future self begins to slide down the straps of his wife's bra. Their own conversation put aside for the moment—the way it always was.

"Are you kidding?" Serena laughs, taking a step closer to the couple, watching them delightedly, "It's _us." _

Nate blinks at her, follows her a step and then stops short, averting his gaze. "You're getting more related to Chuck with every day…" He says dryly.

She rolls her eyes at him. "I doubt they're going to— you _know—_ right out here by the—"

The older Nate makes his own hissing sound then and speaks over her words; says, "Friggin' tile…" as he clutches his wife a little tighter and does as she had asked. He rolls them, saying as he does, "It's really—"

Rolls— right into the pool.

Both Serena's shriek loud enough to be heard over the splashing water.

Nate hisses, "Holy crap," as his older self mutters, "Fuck," around a mouthful of chlorinated water.

"They fell into the pool!" The younger Nate cries, bounding over to the edge to look.

The younger Serena nods, squeaking, "Oh my god!" As she follows Nate, "Do you think—"

She cuts herself off as the two of them peer down at the now very wet couple coming up for air. They're shaking their heads and gasping as they keep themselves afloat, looking at each other in astonished stupor.

"We're in the _pool!"_ Nate shouts at her, still spluttering a little, as if this were something she could have not noticed.

But there's a grin on Serena's face, long tendrils of her golden hair wading around her, "Roll towards the _other_ side, Nate!" She teases and splashes him a little, "To the _grass!"_

And he's grinning then too, shakes water droplets off of his head, strands of his hair sticking to his forehead.

She splashes him again and he splashes back. "Say something!" She cries laughingly.

And he grins, "Whoops."

She splashes him once more as she wades closer to him. "Whoops? That's all you have to say!?"

He reaches out and pulls her to him, the water swirling around them. "Yeah," he says, "_Whoops…"_ he pauses, puckers his lips, "And my sneakers are ruined…"

Their clothes are sticking to them like a second skin, and when she grins even wider, a burst of delighted laughter escaping her— he leans in to kiss her again.

She giggles when he lifts his lips from hers; her blue eyes sparkling as brightly as the glimmering water around them. She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist; trusting him to keep her afloat.

And he does while she presses little kisses to his face. "Remember our wedding," she says on a breathy laugh as he twirls them out further into the pool.

He rolls his eyes at the question, says, "Vaguely…" in a teasing tone.

"Remember our dance…!" She continues, leaning forward so her nose skims his, so their foreheads touch.

"Is it really a _dance_ if the bride, groom, wedding party, and guests all end up in the ocean?" He wonders.

"The wedding party _were _the guests," she points out; laughing as she adds, "And yes! It counts!" She pauses and then bites her lip a little, "We did this! Twirled like this!"

"Yeah, except _that_ water was _freezing…_"

"It was not! It was only September!"

"They're totally in love," Serena says then; the words are hushed and little awed as she watches the older couple spin around in the pool. Wet and smiling with arms wrapped around one another and gazes fixed on nothing but each other.

She'd heard them say it, listened to an entire conversation where they discussed it, questioned it, fought for it— but it wasn't until this moment, that she'd _seen _it.

"Well, _yeah," _Nate responds to her words; his tone underlined with a quiet _duh._

She looks over at him. He's watching her.

"Why does that surprise you?" He asks her when he catches her gaze.

"It doesn't," she denies— not exactly, anyway.

"Yes it does," he insists, his tone oddly irritated.

She blinks a little; he's frowning at her and she feels a knot of anxiety form inside her. "No—that's not—I just… I mean… it's— it _doesn't._" She amends quickly, but the words are disjointed and his frown intensifies.

"What is it then? Why can't they be in love?"

"I didn't say they couldn't be!" She replies, and even to her own ears, she sounds defensive.

"You might as well have!" He snaps at her, "It's what you _meant!" _

She blinks, "What I—? No, it's not— I just meant that—?"

"That's its totally inconceivable for them to be actually in love, right?"

"No! That's not—" she shakes her head, can't figure how this conversation took this turn; can't find the words to set it right— is too surprised by his abrupt outpouring anger.

"Yeah, fine. Whatever, Serena," he mutters, glaring at her a little before turning his gaze away from her.

She gapes at him. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so mad?"

"_Nothing. _I'm not mad," he bites back, clearly upset. "It's fine. Whatever," he repeats, "I mean, it _is_ unthinkable, right? The two of us in love."

There's a caustic tone to his voice that makes her wince, makes the knot of anxiety in her twist and the back of her eyes sting with hurt; and it's not _fair_, she thinks suddenly— _he's _the one with a girlfriend.

"_You're _the one with a girlfriend," she points out again, with more bite to the words this time; her blue eyes are narrowed onto his profile, the bubbling of her own anger stirring inside her.

He looks over at her again, face blank, eyes still a touch angry, "Like that makes a difference."

And her eyes widen, "Oh _nice, _Nate," she hisses, takes a step away from him.

He stiffens, realizes what he said, and the blankness fades into a look of remorse then.

He shakes his head, moves towards her, "No, that's not— I don't mean—" he cuts himself off, the rush of anger leaving his gaze.

And she knows he didn't mean it...

He looks at her imploringly, "I just… even when_ I _didn't have a—"

She huffs at him, doesn't let him finish as her own irritation bubbles over. "And when _haven't _you?" She asks him, her voice rising despite herself, "I'm not going to take a number and join the queue, Nate!"

The words hang between them for a breaths time and then Sunny's voice, youthful and exuberant, fills the yard. "Oh, oh! I want to swim too! Can I swim too?!"

The younger couple starts, their glares at each other fading into widened eyes as both Serena's and both Nate's, turn in Sunny's direction.

The boy's parents straighten, Serena letting her legs fall from around Nate's waist. They'd been in the center of the pool, still clinging to each other, talking in low voices, smiling at one another. Now they begin to drift back towards the edge of the pool, both their gazes intent on their son.

"No, buddy! Stay on the tile!" Nate calls out.

His wife smiles, "Sure," she whispers to him, "You keep _him _dry."

Her husband sends her a quick suggestive glance, "Wet looks good on you," he murmurs. Her smile widens into a grin.

Sunny sighs dramatically as he reaches the platform, "But you—"

"_What _are you doing?!" His Auntie B's shrill voice reaches them next and the younger Serena and Nate cringe a bit. They know their Blair can't be far behind—and isn't going to sound any more pleased.

She strolls out then, Chuck a pace behind her, as the two take in the scene.

"It was an accident," the older Serena calls out.

"I want to swim!" Sunny insists.

"Later," his Dad tells him.

"An _accident…?" _the older Blair repeats disbelievingly. She's eyeing them like they're a pair of misbehaving puppies that somehow got into her rose garden—not that, that would _ever_ happen.

"A miscommunication," Nate replies; and then he laughs a little, because it's a concept that applies to more than just their current predicament.

"Ooooh, so what is it that's going on out here?"

Blair rolls her eyes, "Precisely what we need— Greg."

"And me," Eric points out cheekily as he walks out with him.

"We just wanted to check and make sure Sunny would be able to _stay _out here after he ran off…" Greg says sweetly, waggling his eyebrows at Blair, "You know, giving the shrieking…"

"Just in case…" Eric picks up, "… if you needed to stay out here… we could take him back inside…" he shifts his gaze to his sister and brother-in-law, "Are you needed out here?"

Serena giggles at her brother, leaning back into the water to float. "Nope. She's not. Does this mean you left Chuckall alone with the rest of the kids?"

Nate splays his finger over her stomach and she wiggles with laughter as she breathes, "That tickles!"

"It does," Eric answers her, grinning.

"But s'not fair!" Sunny insists, pouting as he eyes his parents in the water.

"Okay, seriously," the younger Blair says then as she approaches her Nate and Serena. The four are now standing by the side of the pool and she waits until she has their attention before asking, "What is going on?"

Nate and Serena stare at her, and then share a quick glance with each other, before looking back to Blair-- where exactly should they begin?

Chuck sighs at them, brings a hand out in front of him in a motion that encompasses both versions of Nate and his sister. "Must the two of you be placed under constant supervision?" He drawls, sounding weary and exasperated.

"It really was an accident," Serena tells him.

Just as her older self wades over to where Sunny's standing, looks up at him from the water with a smile. "We can all swim together later, sweetheart."

"Yes, but why are you swimming _now?" _The older Blair hisses, her eyes narrowed, "In your _clothing?" _She adds, tone a little scandalized.

Serena laughs a little; Nate grins.

"Is it symbolic of the everlasting, destructive and yet healing powers of the ocean in relation to your marriage and the vows you aren't willing to forgo?"

Greg's question sucks the noise out of the yard as they all pause to turn and look over at him. The older Nate and Serena are still in the pool, though they've moved closer to the steps and railing, clearly intent on getting out of the water. Blair is poised delicately at the very edge of the tile, her arms crossed in front of her; Eric and Greg a bit behind her and to the side, both standing on the grass. The four of them are still standing on the tile, beside the pool.

Greg blinks when he realizes the silence is directed at him; his green gaze going from one person and then to another, before shrugging expansively and giving a sheepish, "What?"

The older Serena laughs as she wraps her hands around the stair railings and pulls herself up from the water. "Um, no, not exactly what we had in mind," she says with a shake of her head; her wet hair sending droplets of water onto her Blair.

The brunette frowns, takes a step back away from her and Nate.

Nate, who is right behind his wife, a hand to the small of her back, as he adds, "It really was just an accident..." he says wryly.

Greg turns to Eric and sighs, a little grin on his face, "My rationalization was better."

Eric nods at him, pats him on the cheek, says, "Infinitely so."

And Greg beams at him.

"But _you_ got to swim now!" Sunny accuses as he runs up to his parents. The two are standing on the tile now, dripping. And Sunny watches as his Mommy turns into his Dad's chest a little bit and as he reaches around to hug her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

Eric clears his throat a little, catching Nate's eye as he makes a tiny motion towards Serena's shoulder. Nate's mouth quirks into a little smile and he quickly adjusts her bra strap.

"Yes," Blair says tightly, "Could you please sort yourselves? You look like _teenagers._"

Nate rolls his eyes at her, runs his free hand through his hair. "We'll swim later, buddy. You can change into your trunks!"

"But _you're _not wearing trunks…" Sunny says, eyeing his Dad doubtfully.

"But now our clothes are all wet," Serena tells her youngest son as she smoothes her dress into place, before sending her sister an amused look.

Surprise flits over Blair's face then and she takes a step back, looks at Nate and Serena askance for a moment, her sharp brown eyes taking in their proximity to each other, their bright eyes, their relaxed poses, their smiling faces…

"But wet clothes aren't so bad!" Sunny exclaims.

"They have to go change their clothes now though," Greg points out to the little boy, "And you don't want to have to do that." He says with a smile.

Sunny's brow un-furrows a little as he considers that, his big, blue gaze fastened on his Uncle Greg. "Yeah, I guess…"

"And so your friends…" Greg continues, switching subjects as he hops over to stand by the little boy, "Are they out here? The ones that look like your Mom and Dad?"

Sunny starts a little and whirls around to face the four of them. "Oh!" He cries excitedly, as his eyes scan over all of them, "They're _all_ here!" He tells Greg, "B and C came too!" He says, pointing at the younger Blair and Chuck.

"Wonderful!" Greg exclaims.

"So the two of you… you worked out your… _difference _then_?"_ The older Blair asks the still dripping couple; her voice a touch skeptical and a touch hopeful, but mostly neutrally curious.

Greg and Eric look over at Nate and Serena then; the four of them too turn to look at the couple. And they in turn look to each other, Serena's smile dimming a little, her gaze becoming hesitant. There's a breath of silence and Nate smiles at her, tightens his hold on her a tiny bit, before looking over at Blair. "We're a work in progress…"

Serena smiles at his profile, leans in and presses a kiss to his cheek.

And something in Blair's face eases, her arms uncross and she purses her lips a little, "Is that supposed to be news?" She teases them; a twinkle in her brown eyes, "You two've always been disaster zone, have you _seen _you're living room?"

"There's nothing wrong with our living room!" Serena defends immediately.

"There's a DreamGym in it!"

"I like the DreamGym, Auntie B!" Sunny cries, turning away from the four of them and towards his Aunt.

Serena giggles. "He likes his DreamGym," she echoes and her tone of voice is decidedly smug.

Eric laughs. "Okay, since the shrieking didn't actually indicate bloodshed— I'm goin back inside."

"And I'm going with you," Blair announces, moving towards Eric.

"Hm," Serena says softly, "What about us?" She asks Nate and there's a teasing lilt to her voice, "Should _we _go inside?" Her eyes motion quickly in Blair's direction.

He grins at her, looks over at the brunette quickly too, "Good question..." he says slowly, "I don't know… what would we do if—"

Blair scowls at them, snapping as they'd known she would. "Oh for heaven's sake, would you two go change. You're _dripping! _And go around to the front. Don't drip that through the kitchen—the staff is in there. And do it quickly, please, so you—where are your _shoes _Serena?"

"Oh!" The blonde says, with a smile, "Right over there!"

"I'll get them for you, Mommy!"

She giggles, reaches out to ruffle his hair, "Thank you, sweetheart!"

Sunny bounds over to where his parents had been sitting.

Nate grins at Blair and says dutifully, "Yes, Blair—we'll be sure to somehow _not _drip while we make our way inside wearing our_ wet _clothes."

Sunny races back with his mother's sandals in his little hands. He drops them down in front of her and then turns towards the four of them; his gaze going to Nate and Serena.

"I was telling Uncle Greg all about how you're lost and the necklace is going to help you go home and I'm going to help you with the necklace and—"

"Oh hey Sun!" Greg calls, interrupting the little boy's tirade. The boy looks over at him. "Since your friends are all out here," he says, "Go on and ask them what it is _exactly _they want…"

The little boy nods and looks back to them, "Did you hear?" He wonders sweetly, "What my Uncle Greg wants to know?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Serena says to him, "We heard."

"Tell'm we're just trying to figure out how we got here and how to get back."

Sunny nods. "They just wanna figure out how's they got here and how's to get home."

"Eric?" Blair wonders with a half-smile, extending her arm a little.

And he nods at her; takes it and tucks it into the crook of his elbow, "I'll see you back inside," he murmurs to Greg.

Greg nods; glances at Eric and Blair briefly as they leave the yard.

Then he turns back to Sunny, grins as he lowers himself down to be eye-level with the boy, "Why do you think this necklace is so important?"

Sunny shrugs, "I _dunno_…" he says emphatically.

"Do you think maybe it's important for them to have something to hold onto— since things are so different for them?"

The boy shrugs again, eyes going to his parents who are watching intently and then back to his Uncle Greg. "Sure, I guess…"

Blair huffs a little, "He thinks Sunny made us up."

"Well what else is he supposed to think, Blair?" Serena points out, "That there's time travel involved?"

"I refuse to be psychoanalyzed by this crackpot," Chuck mutters.

Sunny giggles. "C says— he refuses to be psychonalized by this crackpot," he reiterates for Greg.

"Sunny!" His mother says, "That's not nice!"

The boy nods as he lifts his wide, innocent eyes to her. "I know Mommy. I don't think C is nice all the time like me."

Nate snorts a laugh; the same reaction his older self has.

"The word is psycho- ana-lyzed," Chuck says, breaking it down for Sunny.

His sister frowns at him, "Chuck…"

"Well, he has to learn, Serena." Blair points out and Chuck nods his agreement.

"By handing out insults?"

The brunette shrugs. "Why not?" They're standing together, her and Chuck, holding hands—and Serena fears suddenly, the things their boys know.

Sunny is nodding and repeating the word to his parents and Uncle, "Psycho-ana-lyzed." He tells his Uncle Greg.

Greg smirks. "C said that, huh?"

Sunny nods. "Yes. He's grumpy today."

Chuck scowls. "I am _not _grumpy_._"

But Nate laughs. "You kind of are, man."

"Well who wouldn't be?" Blair points out, her voice smooth. She moves closer to her Nate and Serena, drops her voice an octave to prevent Sunny from hearing as she says, "Your child is utterly _inane." _

Nate and Serena frown at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" Serena asks.

"It _means _that in the 47 minutes we spent attempting to guide him into procuring answers for us, he somehow managed to discuss dinosaurs, rice crispy treats, roller blading, grass, and _germs." _

"The last three could be related," Nate states.

The words earning himself a laser hot glare from Blair before she continues. "He cannot stay on point."

Serena shrugs, steps around Blair and Chuck towards Sunny. "Hey Sunny…?"

The little boys shifts to her, "Yeah, S?"

"Did you ask your Uncle Chuck and Auntie B about the necklace?"

He nods his head, "Yeah, well, sorta… I was tellin' Uncle Greg 'bout you?"

"Could you tell Uncle Greg about us later please and ask Auntie B and Uncle Chuck about the necklace now?"

"Oh... okay, sure!" He says happily, nodding at her. He turns back to his Uncle Greg then, who'd been watching him very intently, "I'll tell 'bout them more later, 'kay? I gotta ask Uncle Chuck and Auntie B a question!" He exclaims and then he runs past the older man without another word.

He's half-way across the yard when he stops and whirls around, "Can I ask Cash!? To swim with us later too!?" He shouts at his parents.

His Dad nods, shouts, "Sure! Ask everybody if you want!"

"Oh _yay!" _Sunny shrieks and spins back around to race into the house.

Greg stands slowly after that as the younger Serena arcs an eyebrow at Blair, "He responds fine to me…" she teases.

Blair frowns, eyes following the path Sunny had run for a moment before going back to Serena, "We told him—"

"Maybe you could ask him next time," Nate says, grinning a little, "Instead of _telling_ him…"

Chuck rolls his eyes. "Lovely. He's fastidious."

"Did his imaginary friends just tell him to blow me off?" Greg wonders bemusedly before any of them can respond to Chuck's comment.

"They're invisible." Sunny's parents reply simultaneously, with matching grins.

And Greg returns their grins, delighted. "Congratulations, by the way, on managing to mend your rift before anything more than moderate psychological trauma was inflicted on your children. I'm really proud of you."

Serena stares at him, her grin fading. "Not really funny."

He shrugs at her, still grinning. "Not really joking…"

She rolls her eyes. "Oh great, well thanks," she mutters and takes a step forward, tugging Nate with her, "Let's get inside, I want to—to talk to the kids later…"

He nods, "Yeah…" he agrees solemnly; before adding, "And I'm kinda starving…"

She giggles. "And wet."

He smile at her, looks at her intensely, the way she's looking at him—their whole world right there; and then he says, "Yeah, that too…"

Greg nods, bounding out ahead of them, "I'm starving too!"

"You were eating when I sat down!" Serena cries after him.

He turns around, walks backward a few paces as he shouts back, "So?!" with that grin still in place.

"Are they… the two of you… future you's… are they good then?" Blair wonders as they watch the three adults head back towards the house; Nate and Serena disregarding Blair's request and walking in through the kitchen door.

"Yeah," Serena says and her amusement fading a bit as she shoots Nate a quick look, "_They're _fine."

It's an odd emphasis in her response and Chuck and Blair pick up on it immediately. They don't exchange looks, don't need too, but both their gazes sharpen on their friends.

"I'm certain you had a more entertaining 47 minutes than we did," Chuck prods, eyes on his best friend.

Nate blinks and then nods. "I dunno, man… they just… talked about stuff…"

"And fell into a pool." Blair points out.

"It really was an accident," Serena says, echoing her future self.

"They accidently walked into the pool?" Blair wonders skeptically.

"More like _rolled _into it," Nate corrects.

Chuck sighs, looks over at Blair. "And we get stuck with the four-year-old."

"You were supposed to be getting him to ask about the necklace." Serena admonished.

"We tried!" Blair cries, "He's easily distracted!"

"Actually, we did manage to get him to ask about the necklace," Chuck says, "We just couldn't keep the conversations on track long enough to get any information. Though you will be pleased to know that your eldest son is entertaining a girl today, that my eldest plans to tag along, that your daughter plans to further torment her…" he pauses for a moment, and then looks to Nathaniel and switches tracks, clearly unsure how to mark the relationship "_Your _daughter… and that Blair and myself have plans to… _entertain… _each other later tonight."

"Oh gross Chuck!" Serena shouts, "Too much!"

Nate nods. "Yeah, man."

Blair says nothing, but the smirk on her face speaks volumes.

"Alright," she says after a moment of silence, "Let's track Sunny down and get him to corner my future self."

Chuck nods, slips his hand out of hers to wrap his arm around her waist as they move back towards the house. "I do love it when you talk _tracking _and _cornering…" _he whispers in her ear.

She arcs an eyebrow at him, "Just because our future selves are going to _entertain _each other tonight, doesn't mean _we'll _be going about in the same way, Bass."

"Come on, Waldorf," he presses, "They're leading by example… who are we to disregard them?"

Behind them, Nate and Serena walk in silence.

They've made it through the kitchen, past the dining room— now empty save for the staff, and into the also empty living room when Blair halts abruptly, turns around in Chuck's hold, right in the middle of his suggestion that they even _observe _their future selves, so as to get any a head-start on any future penchants that might develop…

"Okay, what happened?" She asks them, "Why are you two so quiet?"

Chuck turns to her with a slight frown, "Don't _ruin_ it," he tells her.

She sends him a quelling look and he sighs. "They're certain to have gotten into a little spat, no?" He says, looking at the two blondes.

"Nothing happened," Serena answers quickly.

"Right," Nate agrees, but his voice is tight and he's not looking at either Chuck or Blair. His gaze is fixed into the space above their heads. "Nothing happened."

The four are quiet then, standing amid the living room—their first glimpse into this other world.

"—except Serena found it incredibly astonishing that we could ever actually be in love," Nate snits after a long moment of silence.

Serena whirls towards him, expression a mask of incredulity, "I did not! That is _not _what I said!"

He turns to her, blue eyes blazing, "Oh right. It's my fault. Because I have a girlfriend."

Serena blows out a breath, her hands coming out to her sides, "I don't even know why you're mad!" She shouts, frustration coloring her voice.

And Nate's eyes sizzle with heat. "Because it shouldn't be that shocking, okay?!" He growls at her.

"I didn't say it _was!" _

He doesn't pause, continues as if she weren't responding at all.

"— because we _could _be that in love!"

"I know that!" She cries and tears spring to her eyes.

"— because we _were _once!" He shouts at her.

And she shouts back, "I _know!"_ without a moment's hesitation.

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	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

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* * *

Her shout takes the wind out of Nate's sails. He gapes at her, mouth still open in what would have been a retort—but suddenly isn't; because he hadn't totally expected her to affirm it, to admit to that…

"I know…" she repeats, softer, panting a little, "…what— what we were once…"

The soft words trail away into silence and they stare at one another; both more upset than either wants to acknowledge— neither knowing where to go from there, what to say to that—aware of the avid audience watching them.

"Well…" Blair's smooth voice slides into the stretching silence, "This is… _awkward_."

"Shut-_up, _Blair," Nate hisses at her, shifting to look at her, to glare at her— feeling relief, almost grateful suddenly, that she'd spoken, that she'd broken into the silence.

"Now, now Nathaniel," Chuck drawls, a trace of warning in his voice, "Don't lash out at her for your inability to express your sentiments appropriately."

"Stay _out _of it, Chuck!" Serena growls, turning around and scowling at her brother.

He frowns at her a little, not precisely upset, but a touch irritated as he says dryly, "Happy to, Sis— if only I had _any_ faith in either of your abilities to rectify the train-wreck that is your relationship."

Blair sighs a little, nods in agreement.

"Right, because _you're_ qualified to advise on relationships, Chuck," she snaps at her brother.

Blair bristles, "Hey—"

But Nate makes a scoffing noise over her words as he shifts his gaze to Serena and sputters, "_What_ relationship? When have we ever had _relationship_?"

And Serena whirls back towards, fury in her eyes, "You have a _girlfriend!" _she spits at him for the a third instance; then adds vehemently, "_All. The. Time! _If not Vanessa than Jenny or—"

"But never _you_! Right, Serena?! It can never be you!"

"And whose fault is that, Nate?!"

The question hangs in the air, the living room wholly silent; just the four of them in this sunlit room and their quiet, stunned breaths.

"Mine… perhaps…?"

Blair's quiet response takes the breath out of both blondes. They turn to her in unison, staring at her with aghast expressions on their faces.

Beside her, Chuck stiffens, sends Blair a quick frowns. "Don't be absurd. You're not responsible for their utter inability to communicate about their relationship— or lack thereof."

Blair doesn't look over at him; her eyes stay on the blonde pair in front of her even as they both avert their gazes from her. She looks them over slowly as she speaks softly to Chuck, "No, I'm not… but maybe… for their reluctance to..." she proposes and there's a hint of something almost like regret in the pitch of her voice.

Nate shakes his head, looks about to speak.

Serena does the same, says, "Blair—" in a soft voice.

But Chuck interrupts his sister, a razor-sharp edge to his voice as he addresses his girlfriend, "I believe the case was they weren't reluctant _enough_."

It's a cutting reminder; and the tension mounts a touch higher. It's the second time this, _that,_ has come up since they've gotten to this curiously, futuristic mirage and that's more than it has ever happened before. They'd talked of it in shouted cries, publically, or in quiet tones, two by two, or simply not at all; but never like this— never just the four them. And it occurs to each of them then, that they haven't spent quite this much time, just the four of them, together, in years...

No one knows exactly where to look until Blair sighs again, a little louder and a bit sadder, as she makes a motion with her hand, "Yes," she says to Chuck, eyes going back to Nate and Serena, "But that was then and this is—"

"This is no different," Nate's voice interrupts her, tight and a bit defiant.

He looks to Serena and adds, almost mockingly, "Because I have a girlfriend," he pauses, meets her widened gaze with a heated one of his own, "And you didn't come back for me."

Serena flinches, drops her eyes from his face.

And Nate's face falls despite the anger still marked there. "We should find Sunny," he says dully, moving to the doorway towards the den.

No one speaks. Serena's gaze stays fixed on the floor; her expression pained, her body still. She's lost in thought and makes no move to follow him.

A beat passes and Chuck takes a step in the direction Nate had walked off in, then he pauses, looks to Blair. She draws in a deep breath and gives him a quick nod, releases his hand. He presses a kiss to her lips, mutters, "They're such work…" as he moves off after Nathaniel.

She smiles at his back, until he's out of sight. And then her smile fades as she looks over at her own best friend.

"So what was that about?" She asks very softly, the cadence of her voice gentle, "What did he mean by that?"

It's a moment before Serena lifts her head, another before she turns it towards Blair, and still another before she meets her sister's gaze. "I said that—" she begins slowly, "To him… when I—came back… from boarding school…" she explains, swallows hard as she turns her body towards Blair now, faces her completely, "He thought— that I… that I'd come— and I told him, no. That I hadn't…" she trails off there.

But there's a glint in Blair's brown eyes suddenly; a resolve for something Serena can't quite understand. "That you hadn't come back for him," she finishes the blonde's sentence.

Serena doesn't meet Blair's gaze. "Yes," she says lowly.

"S." Blair calls after a moment of silence.

And Serena blows out a deep breath, looks at Blair, her expression resigned. It isn't the first conversation they've had about this and she thinks it won't be the last. It'll haunt them, she knows, haunt _her. _And for that betrayal, it's a price she's willing to pay.

"Did you?" Blair asks her.

And Serena starts a little. "What?"

"Did you come back for him?"

She blinks. "Wha—? No! Blair— you know that— that Eric— I didn't… _no." _

Blair takes a step towards Serena; reaches out and takes her hand. "I know," she says, "I know Eric needed you and you came home because of that," she agrees before adding tenderly, "But was it _for _Nate? You can tell me."

Serena shakes her head, "Blair—"

"I know," Blair says and there's something unraveling inside her as she thinks back to that time. It's only been two years, but she feels a lifetime removed from it; and wants suddenly for Serena to feel that too. "I know I was dating him and that I loved him and that you wanted me to be okay, you wanted me to have him and to have you and to have everything be okay— the way it had been before… before all of that…" she acknowledges, "I know..."

Tears fill Serena's eyes and Blair tugs her a step closer, there's barely an arm's length between the two girls now, and Blair stares intently into her sister's gaze as she continues, "And _thank you _for—"

"No, B, don't thank—" the plea is ragged, a denial of absolution.

And Blair doesn't heed it, "—for that, because I _needed _that then. I really did. To be okay, I needed to have him and to have you and to have a just a few more days of _before." _There are tears in her brown eyes now too as she leans into Serena, presses her forehead to her best friend's temple.

Serena nods, a tear slipping. "I know… and I'm sor—"

"Don't," Blair whispers fiercely into her ear, "Don't apologize again," she tells her, "Not anymore."

She lifts her head, uses her free hand to reach up and turn Serena's face towards her, to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. They stare at each other for a long moment then. Friends and rivals, sisters and enemies, Blair and Serena, Serena and Blair— everything they wanted and feared and loved and hoped known to the other, used by turns to bolster or debase the other; they were as giving to each other as they were cynical, as kind as they could be cruel, and all it amounted to was this, they loved each other.

"I'm okay now," Blair tells her simply, hoping her words will free her, "And he's always loved you."

Serena shudders at the gentle words, pulls back, draws in a deep breath as she swipes at her eyes. "Blair, it's not—"

Blair straightens too, blinks back her tears. "What? Not true?" She interrupts, "Not true that even when he'd _accidentally _miss my calls, he never missed yours? That even when he'd be too busy to see me or talk to me he was never too busy for you?"

Serena looks miserable, "No, B, that's not—"

"Just because I never did anything about it doesn't mean I didn't see it, S."

And Serena's mouth snaps shut.

It's not bitterness in Blair's voice though, its wryness; a tone of bemused understanding and that's what keeps Serena's gaze on her face.

Blair reaches out and takes her hand again, tugs her to her side as she turns in the direction of the den. "I want you to be okay, too," she tells the blonde as they walk very slowly towards the doorway.

"I _am,"_ Serena says, draws in a breath; but Blair speaks again before she can continue.

"Uh-huh, is dancing on tables and giving strip teases for reporters all over Europe the definition of _okay_ now?"

Serena huffs, frowns. "I was having _fun_. It doesn't mean anything."

Blair sends her a sidelong glance full of disbelief. And then she looks forward again, says softly, "I don't want you to be afraid," she says carefully.

"Afra— of _what_? There's nothing—"

"Of Nate. Of being with—"

"I'm _not," _Serena denies, "And we're not like that, we— _augh_," she sighs, "I'm not even sure why Nate blew up like that. We haven't—"

"Then answer my question."

Serena stops walking, "What?"

"Did you…" Blair begins very steadily, "… come back for Nate?"

"No."

And Blair contains her eye-roll; no one ever said Serena wasn't stubborn. "Not even a little bit?"

Serena yanks her hand from Blair's, "Would you _stop_ it!" She cries, anger flashing over her face, "Why are you doing this!? Why can't you just _leave _it!?"

"I told you why," Blair answers, forcing herself to not yell back, "Because I want you to be okay and not afraid and give what you have with—"

"We don't _have _anything!" Serena shouts, voice cracking a little, "We haven't _ever! _ Not what you're talking about, not something like that! It's always been quiet, hidden, _wrong_ even, and I don't know _how _to do—"

"Well obviously you _should _and it's _not_ now and you need to _learn _then don't you think."

It wasn't a question. It was Blair with an arched eyebrow and her dark gaze fixed on Serena's face expectantly.

And Serena scowls at her, "What do you want me to say, Blair!? _Oh sure, great idea, why didn't I think of that?" _She hisses, "Because I can't _do _that! It's not that easy! I can't just stop—_stopping _myself, okay? I—"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm _not! _I'm just—"

"You are."

"No—"

"Then what is it exactly?"

And it's just like Blair to force Serena to narrow it down; to slice through the ambiguity and fog she loves to float through. She blinks at her, feels the rush of anger that had buoyed her up vanish as suddenly as it had appeared. A lump rising to her throat and so much uncertainty she has to look away for fear of Blair seeing in her eyes exactly what she's spent the last few breaths denying—fear.

"I don't—I don't _know. _We're just not…" she trails off, eyes fixed on the windows at the far side of the room. And she expects to hear Blair's voice then, expects her to ask _not what? _But the brunette remains silent, still, and Serena licks her lips, presses on; trying to put into words something she's never even let herself fully think of, "There's always been… something there," she admits so quietly she can't even be certain Blair can hear her, "Between us… always been… something that's… _us…" _

It's the best she can do— doesn't even know where to begin to put into words what she feels when she's with Nate; how to describe the quiet magic that thrums between, the way everything slows down, turns brighter, feels realer…

She turns to Blair; finds warm brown eyes studying her profile. "He sees all of me, you know…" she says softly and she thinks Blair does know, thinks Chuck's always seen all of Blair, the way Serena has; the way Blair's always seen all of Serena. "And I… was sure once that I… that I loved him… and sometimes… I think… that I could…" she trails for a moment, lets her gaze shift from Blair's face, "But he's…he's always…" she trails off for good there; voice tapering away and not picking up again; her eyes sad as they stare off into space.

Beside her, Blair sighs, a touch frustrated. "He's what?" She asks the blonde.

Serena draws in a deep breath, "Nothing, B. Let's just go find Sunny, we need to—"

"He's _what?" _Blair snaps, not moving.

Serena frowns. "Just drop it, Blair."

"No. I don't want to," comes the almost flippant response, like she's declining an offer to go get coffee together, "I want to know what it is exactly that keeps you from him when you loved him enough to dupe me."

Serena starts, and then sighs. "God Blair. You realize you're going to NYU in the fall, right? And that their mascot is _not _a bulldog."

"He's what?" Blair asks again, "Not your type? Not compatible? Not—"

"No! No, it's nothing like that! You know it's not like that…. it's just… he's…" she looks into Blair's eye then and puts the word into her gaze; knows Blair will read it there.

_Yours._

Brown eyes widen a little. "He's what? _Mine?_"

It sounds wrong said out loud, not exactly the way it does when she thinks it and Serena shakes her head, "Well no. I mean, he's his own person obviously—it's just… I don't want to…" she blinks, brings together the words to tell Blair what it is she means, "… to be _with_ him… if you—if you decided that you wanted— like you did, _this _year, to—"

Blair scoffs before the blonde can finish, her lips quirking upwards in a little smile as she reaches out and takes Serena's arm, tugging her towards the doorway again. "I'm not going to decide that, ever again," she says firmly as they begin to walk, "But even if I did—it wouldn't matter. Not if he's with you."

Blair squeezes her sister's arm a little, "He's not mine, never was, I think, not really."

"But…" she continues primly, after a pause, the small smile still hovering over her lips, "… if you what you need is for me to… officially bequeath him to you— then consider it done."

Serena stops them in the doorway, looks over at her, "You can't just bestow a person on me," she tells her, but there's a small smile on her lips too. Because of course Blair would think that this would resolve everything.

"Why not?"

Her smile widens a little, "Because… you just… you _can't…"_ she says, but there's a thread of amusement in her voice.

"And yet," Blair says brightly, "I just did. He's yours. If you choose to let what's yours perish in the dredges of _Brooklyn _then really—"

A surprised bubble of laughter escapes her as she cries, "Blair!"

"What? "Blair responds with the shrug of one shoulder. "I'm serious. If his ventures into outer boroughs isn't a cry for help, I don't know what is. It's obvious, he needs you."

_He needs you. _

The words bring to Serena's mind the scenes she had witnessed beside the pool, the way her future self had clung to her husband; the way he had looked at her— and her smile turns wistful. "You should have seen them out there, B. The older me and him—they… they're really in love."

Blair stares at her a moment, and she rolls her eyes and pulls the other girl into the den. "News flash, Serena, I've seen what you and Nate look like in love."

And Serena laughs; softly and not nearly as bright as usual, but genuine nonetheless. There's such certainty in Blair's voice, such confidence in her gaze as she says those words— it relieves something inside her, soothes her.

She doesn't need Blair's permission, never had. But it was nice to have her blessing.

Not that she knew what to do with it; or Nate.

Or what to do, in general, really...

She shoves Blair a bit in the shoulder, rolls her eyes at the girl. And her best friend smiles in return.

* * *

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* * *

Nate had walked through the den on the fumes of his righteous indignation, on the memory of her uttering those words at him, of the way she had walked away. And when they had tapered off, he had faltered, had found himself in the game-room, alone, and anxious in a way that made _him _want to take that dog for a run. Serena was right to be confused, hell, _he _was confused by his sudden bursts of anger. He didn't know why her soft surprise had bothered him so much, why seeing her look at their future selves with such _wonder _had set his teeth on edge—but they had. They had made him want to shout and shake her and tell her there was _nothing _surprising about it, that he had made it _clear _in a hundred different ways that he loved her—until she had asked him to stop.

He had paced the game-room then, ran a hand through his hair, walked over to the glass the doors and had been seriously considering going out and doing laps in the pool—wondering vaguely if his presence would be noted in the water—when Chuck had made himself known.

He'd cleared his throat and had walked forward; leaned back against the armrest of one of the sofas, folded his arms across his chest, and then proceeded to do nothing. Nothing, but stare at his best friend with dark, impassive eyes.

Nate held the gaze for a long time, not wanting this conversation to start; and finally had to look away, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair.

He mutters, "_What?_" now, already irked by what's surely going to be an irritating conversation.

Chuck smirks at him, glances at his watched. "Almost five minutes, not bad."

"I'm not in the mood, Chuck. Just say what you want to say."

"You are in a _dreadful_ mood," Chuck points out, arching an eyebrow.

And Nate huffs, "Right. Thanks for agreeing with me then. Can we skip the talk part and just go find the kid now?"

Chuck's expression clears, but his gaze remains intently fixed on Nate. "_Your_ kid," he says after a beat.

Nate blinks at him, gritting his jaw a little. "Yes," he agrees reluctantly, "My kid. Can we find him, so we can figure out—"

"— with Serena," Chuck presses, interrupting the other boy.

"Chuck—"

"Your kid with Serena."

And Nate's fists clench. "Right— whatever. We still need to—"

Chuck's lips twitch as if he were restraining a smile; mostly because he was. "Because in the future… you're in love…"

A slow inhale of a deep breath and then Nate says forcefully, "Look, Chuck— really— _not_ wanting to talk about this."

Chuck blinks at him, straightening a little, "But it's what you said. Am I wrong?"

Nate glares, "No, but—"

"And in the past— you were also… in love."

"No, I don't want to—"

"Oh, so you weren't in—"

And Nate steps towards him, grimacing in anger, "You _know _I was!" He yells, frustration bubbling over.

And it was true, Chuck had always known. He'd seen the way every shred of focus his best friend had, would be ensnared by the giggling blonde; seen the way Nathaniel's gaze had followed Serena's every movement. Once, he knew— Nathaniel might have loved Blair; but he had never been fascinated, enthralled by her, the way he'd always been by Serena.

"Yes… I do know," he admits softly; admits to seeing it all play out long ago, to standing aside watching the players, the game, unfold, and doing nothing to stop it.

He moves then, to stand in front of his friend. "In love in the past," he begins, voice a touch mocking; because really, this shouldn't be all that difficult to put together—even for the two of them. "And in love in the future… what does that tell you, Nathaniel, about the present?"

"That I'm stuck in some kind of psychedelic hallucination and suddenly no one seems interested in getting us out of it?" He snaps, eyes narrowing.

Chuck makes a motion with his hand, "You love her."

And hearing it said like that, point-blank, no qualifications or florid explanations, makes Nate start; his expression going blank, as he stares at his best friend.

Chuck stares back; silent and knowing.

And then Nate shrugs; sighs again, feels inexplicably sad by it all. "You don't have to tell me," he murmurs.

"But you have to tell her."

"I _have_ told her," he says imploringly.

Chuck smiles a little, because really— these two are as easy to figure out as a paint-by-numbers. "Maybe…" he says slowly, meeting Nathaniel's gaze, "She thinks things have changed."

Nate gapes at him. "Why would she think that? When have I ever said that I stopped—"

"Well, she seems to be a bit perturbed by… what was it? Oh yes, your having a girlfriend."

Nate glowers at Chuck, "This isn't funny."

"I didn't say it was."

"You're _amused." _

"Well, it's been a rather droll morning."

"Chuck!"

Chuck shrugs at him. "I'm suggesting you tell her again."

"And then what, huh?! What's that going to change? It didn't change anything the first time I—"

"Then _work _for her Nathaniel— or at the very least, clear off your lap so she can fall into it."

He stares at Chuck, mouth still open in a mid-sentence that he'll never finish now. It couldn't be that simple…

But Chuck's smirking at him like it is and then the girls are walking into the room; genuine smiles and soft laughter and he closes his mouth and looks away.

"There you are," Blair says, eyes drifting to Chuck as they walk into the game room.

Serena's steps slow as they draw closer to where the two boy stand; but Blair moves towards Chuck, even as he takes a step towards her. Drawn together like magnets, they smile at one another, in on a joke the other don't see.

"I've had just about enough of this place," Blair announces a beat later. She's standing beside Chuck, their arms touching. Nate standing a few feet away, Serena just inside the doorway looking at them all with wide eyes.

"I agree," Chuck nods, "We'll find Sunny and seeing as he responds so _well_ to you sister dearest, _you_ will guide him into getting the information we need. Understood?"

Serena narrows her eyes, "Sure Chuck, sweet of you to _ask." _

He smirks at her.

"Let's go then," Blair says and slips her hand into Chuck's. The two of them step forward, intent on leaving the room.

Neither Nate nor Serena move; both stand there, gazes affixed anywhere, but on each other and Chuck rolls his eyes at Blair, tilts his head towards Nate. She shrugs a little, squeezes his hand and cuts her eyes to Serena.

"Would you two mind putting aside your fabricated issues until we're no longer in a fabricated reality?"

Blair gives his hand a painful squeeze now. "Chuck!"

He shrugs, "What?"

Blair makes a face at him.

" We don't have issues," Serena says softly, "Fabricated or otherwise…" she offers, eyes going to Nate; it's an olive branch, her giving him the chance to brush this all aside like they have so many other times.

"Oh yes we do," Nate says to her sternly, "But they're _not _fabricated," he shoots at Chuck a moment later.

The brunette opens his mouth to respond when the door to patio opens. They look over to find Cash gallantly holding it open for a young girl to precede Liam inside.

"It's really sweet of you, Cash," she's saying, there's a glass of orange juice in her hand and she's smiling at the younger boy kindly.

"Yeah," Liam agrees, says, "Too sweet," a little darkly.

She laughs and they notice Liam is holding her hand as she walks towards one of the sofas. Nate steps out of their way quickly, make a quick grimace as Cash's foot slips through his for a moment, before he steps safely away from the threesome.

"Oh!" Blair cries, lighting up a little as she looks to Serena and then back to the kids, "This must be the girl! Candace. The one Liam's seeing…"

"Oh!" Serena says, nodding and stepping forward, closer to the sofa, so she could study the girl. "She's pretty!"

Candace has long and evenly cut, coppery red hair that's held back away from her face with a thin white headband. She's a slim, tall girl with a small, straight nose, full lips and big, light green eyes. There's a smattering of faint freckles over her nose and she's wearing a white skirt with a pale green tank top and wide smile as she takes a seat beside Cash on the sofa.

"I just thought you might be thirsty," Cash says and all four of them start a little; because that's the voice of _butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth _they now knew to associate with the downfall of congressman.

Candace smiles over at him.

"You didn't think I'd could be thirsty?" Liam wonders, a bit sardonically as he perches on the armrest beside Candace.

Cash smiles over at his cousin. "Oh no, I didn't think— we just had brunch… sorry." There's nothing, but pure regret in the word and if the younger's boy's dark eyes weren't dancing with merriment, they could almost believe it was true.

"_Right." _Liam bites out.

Candace takes a sip of her juice.

And Liam continues, "You're not coming with us."

"Liam!" The girl cries, looking up at him with horrified eyes, "Don't be—"

"He's not."

"It's okay, I'll just stay here…" Cash says on a shrug, "I can wait for Annie, Gracie and Harm to get back."

"Great, sounds like a plan," Liam nods, offering him a mocking smile, his eyes glaring at Cash warningly as he stands and tugs on Candace's hand, "Come on we should—"

"We can't just leave him all by himself…" she says and sends Cash a quick smile before looking over at Liam.

"Uh yes, we can. The other kids will be back from lessons in like an hour. He's—"

"Cash, would you take this to the kitchen for me," Candace says, interrupting Liam and handing Cash the half-full glass of juice, "I'm all finished."

He smiles at her—all sweetness, as he takes the glass and hops up from the seat, "Sure thing!"The eyes he lifts above her head to Liam are laughingly mocking.

Liam's gaze narrows.

"I think your kid has a crush on Liam's girlfriend," Nate says as Cash leaves the room.

"Brilliant observation, Nathaniel."

"He's not coming with us," Liam says again before Nate can respond to Chuck.

Candace stands then. "You said it yourself that your family's been going through a lot lately, you really want to leave him here all alone?"

Liam's eyes go wide, "Yes!" He exclaims, "That's exactly what I want to do! If we bring him, we're not going to get a moments peace and his hand is going to end up your ass or boo—"

"Liam!"

He huffs. "It's true," he says and actually pouts a little.

"He's just a kid," she defends, "A _sweet_ kid. And he wants to come to the movies with us, there's nothing wrong with that…"

"He's _not _a sweet kid. He's a…" Liam trails off, gaze fixed on her face; before shaking his head, she wouldn't believe him anyway. "He's just not," he amends after a moment. "He's playing you…"

"He's _twelve _and adorable."

"He's twelve and evil."

"You're exaggerating and being mean."

"You're underestimating him and being stubborn."

She waggles her eyebrows at him then, grins, "It's called _tenacity," _she corrects, "And it's a highly prized character trait."

He sighs even as he grins back. "How am I supposed to fondle you in a dark theater if my little cousin is around?"

"How am I supposed to have fun making-out with you if I know we left a sad little boy all alone all afternoon?"

"You are way too kind-hearted."

"Well, I've been seeing _you _haven't I?"

He gasps, still smiling as he lays a hand over his heart, "Candy, ouch."

She giggles. And then shrugs, says simply," I like Cash. He's adorable, always giving candy or showing me funny videos..."

"You know he only gives you candy because I call you Candy."

"Is everything about you, Liam?" She asks, smiling.

"He's trying to steal you away," Liam tells her very seriously despite his grin.

"Then you better up your game then, huh?" She says teasingly, biting her lip a little.

And Cash comes bounding back into the room at that moment.

"She is totally flirting with my son," Serena says, staring at the red-head, "I don't know how I feel about that."

"You did hear the part about fondling at the movie theater, right sis?" Chuck drawls, smirking at the blonde.

"Shut-up, Chuck!"

"You guys should get going," Cash tells them, all bright eyes and smiles, "You don't want to be late."

And Candace throws Liam a triumphant look before turning around to face Cash. "You can come with us, if you want, sweetie." She says.

Cash blinks at her, "Oh no, I think Liam would be mad."

Liam glowers at the younger boy.

"I think Liam would understand," Candace says sweetly.

And Cash lets his gaze slide from her face to Liam standing behind her, keeps his expression a picture of little-boy-indecision; and then he shakes his head ruefully, "Naw, it's okay… you guys have your date."

And she steps towards him, "Okay, but another day the three of us are going to hang out and play video games," she assures him, "Right, Liam?"

He rolls his eyes, "Uh-huh, yeah, sure. Can we go now?"

She shoots him a look over her shoulder and then turns back to Cash; reaches out ruffles his dark hair, "Thanks for the juice, Cash," she tells him and then leans in and presses a kiss to his cheek.

"She's a hussy!" Blair cries, scandalized.

Even as Liam scowls, looking outraged, "Candy!"

She laughs and turns back around to face her boyfriend, "Let's go," she says and takes his hand again, tugging him towards the patio doors.

As Candace pulls him out of the room, Liam looks back at Cash, still scowling, and finds the younger boy smirking at him, expression smug.

Chuck smirks too. "He's made himself quite a soft spot in her affections."

"Did you see that!?" Blair hisses, motioning towards Cash and the patio door where Liam and Candace had exited, "We have to find out that girl's last name and make sure she never comes near our babies!"

"Assuming this is real," Serena points out with a small smile.

Cash laughs into the empty room, looks completely delighted for a moment and then bounds out towards the den.

"I think it's real," Nate says then, voice completely serious, his gaze on Serena, "I think all of it is real… "

And they're silent then, each one considering those words, that concept; before Nate speaks again, "But we're still not supposed to be here… so can we just… find Sunny…"

"Yes," Serena agrees, "Let's find Sunny."

* * *

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* * *


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the reviews and the comments! They make me grin. :D This chapter begins to set up our finale. :] In regards, to this chapters end, I must just say trust me, please. :P

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

*******

* * *

Blair and Chuck exchange a look and then lead the way. Serena falls into step behind them, Nate silently follows her. They make it through the den without a word. The house is oddly silent, and they wonder vaguely where everyone's gone off to.

As if in answer, they find Cash and Sunny in the living room.

"Oh good," Nate says quietly, motioning towards the boys.

Sunny is standing on the sofa so he's eye-to-eye with Cash as he explains something with elaborate hand gestures, "… and then she left _too_!" He finishes grandly.

"She told you to go with her," Cash says, leaning his body back from the boy and watching him with an amused smirk, "All Annie is going to do is watch Gracie and Harm play, you could have gone with her and listened to a story or something…"

"But I _can't. _I can't leave guests!" Sunny cries, "Auntie B says!"

And they all exchange quick glances. "He means us," Serena says softly.

"Yeah— she says not to put your shoes on the sofa too," Cash points out wryly, gaze dropping for a moment to Sunny's sneakers sinking into the sofa, before adding, "And there are no guests, Sun. It's just us here today, no party."

"Nooo," Sunny drawls out the word, bouncing a little on the cushions, completely disregarding the shoes-on-sofa point. "I do…" and he signals towards them then, where they're standing behind Cash, "See! They're right there! Hi!" He adds, waving cheerily.

Chuck sighs. "Wonderful."

Blair turns her head towards Chuck and rests her forehead against his shoulder as she sighs too. The boy just does not understand the concept of subtlety.

Serena takes a step past them, coming forward towards Sunny. "Hi, sweetie. Remember—"

"There's nothing _there, _Sun," Cash says emphatically without even turning around; and then he starts moving away, "And just so you know, this imaginary friend act is only cute until they medicate you."

Sunny frowns at the words, his bottom lip coming out in a pout, as he watches the older boy move towards the staircase.

And Blair groans, lifting her head from Chuck's shoulder and releasing a loud and aggravated sigh. "Augh!" She screeches and then stamps her foot, hisses, "This is _ridiculous!"_

"Blair…" Serena says softly, seeing the melt-down coming; she reaches out and lays a hand on the other girl's arm, hoping to stave it off.

But Blair shrugs her off and steps away, starts pacing a little, "I cannot _take _this anymore! It's—"

"Are you gonna cry, B?"

Sunny's tremulous question breaks into the beginning of Blair's rant, halts her steps. They all look over at him. He's still standing on the sofa, but he's watching her with wide blue eyes.

Cash stops too; he's on the fourth step and he looks over at his little cousin with a worried frown.

"No buddy," Nate says firmly, approaching Sunny, "She's not gonna cry."

"Gracie cries sometimes after she stamps her foot like that..."

"Sunny," Cash says the younger boy's name softly. Sunny doesn't look over at him, his big, blue eyes stay fixed on Blair.

She releases a breath; draws in a deeper one and then assures him, "I'm not going to cry. It'd just—" she makes a waving motion with one hand, blows out a frustrated breath, "It'd be nice if _one_ person you told about us would— would _believe_ you, you know?"

Chuck steps towards her, catches her hand in his and lifts it, presses a kiss to the back of her wrist. She sighs, steps closer to him. And when his arms come around her, she relaxes in his hold.

Sunny blinks at them. "_Oh_," he says quietly; and then he shrugs, says, "Okay…" as he hops off the sofa and to the floor.

They watch as he turns and rushes over to where Cash is still standing on the steps, watching him with dark, concerned eyes.

Cash tracks his approach and when Sunny stands at the foot of the steps he arcs an eyebrow, says seriously, "You realize this is completely _weird, _right?"

Sunny shrugs again and skips up to the step where Cash is standing. "Cash?" He says plaintively as he grabs one the older boy's hand in both of his much smaller ones and tugs on it.

Cash lets him, says almost warily, "Yeah?"

"I gotta tell you somethin' and you gotta believe me, okay?"

Cash stares at him for a beat and then he rolls his eyes; breathes a quiet laugh and shakes his head, "Sunny…"

And the four of them watch curiously as Sunny tugs on his hand again, "No, really. You have to, okay?"

A smirk appears on Cash's face as he looks at the younger boy, "Let me guess, your imaginary friends are real."

"They're _not _imaginary," Sunny tells him. And then looks over at them, standing beside the staircase, watching the two boys. "You're _not, _right?" He confirms gravely, like its important this time; because this time he's telling Cash.

"No," Blair says.

"We're not imaginary," Serena picks up.

Sunny looks back to Cash, "They're not imaginary. They're invisible," he says and then looks to the four of them again, "Right?"

"That's right," Nate says, nodding.

"We're invisible to everyone, but you," Chuck finishes.

Cash sighs at him, doesn't look convinced.

"They're invisible and they're lost. And they need help and _nobody_ believes me… so I need help helping them," Sunny continues earnestly.

"And you want my help?" Cash concludes, managing to look doubtful and amused.

"Yes! Because they're _real… _just you can't see them… and I can. I don't _why, _but I can… and I need to help them get home...!" Sunny explains on a rush.

Cash stares at him again and then drops down to sit on the step, "Okay. So question for you..."

Sunny nods vigorously, "Okay! I'm ready."

"If I help _you_ help _them_ and they go home—that's it, then. They'll be gone, right?"

Sunny makes a face at him, says, "Well, _yeah_," in a voice brimming with _duh _and then glances at them quickly, "Right?"

Chuck nods. "Yes."

"We'll be gone from here," Nate confirms.

Sunny looks back to Cash and nods, says, "Yep. They'll be gone."

"No more having conversations by yourself in the middle of the living room…?"

Sunny blinks, "I guess not, but I'm not by myself, Cash—they're—"

"Okay then," Cash says, nodding, "You're in luck— I'm in."

And Sunny grins, cutting himself off, "You believe me?!"

Cash shrugs, "Sure."

The little boy swings his gaze towards Blair, "There! Cash believes me! And he's going to help us," he says firmly with a nod.

Blair stares at him, opens her mouth to speak and then shuts it again; shakes her head, "That's— that's great, Sunny…" she says wanly.

Beside her, Serena giggles. "I think if we'd just told him that from the beginning, we'd have made more progress by now…"

"Where are these invisible friends of yours right now?" Cash asks.

"Oh right here," Sunny says, motioning towards them. He pulls on Cash's hand again and the older boy stands, begins descending the steps with Sunny. "There's N, B, C, and S… and they look like—"

"I know who they look like, I've heard you tell it," Cash interrupts with an eye roll. "Who's the ring leader of your not-imaginary-just-invisible group of buddies?"

Sunny blinks up at him, slows his steps, "Huh?"

It's Cash now, tugging. He leads the little boy back to the sofa and then plops back on it. Releasing Sunny's hand and reclining on it, legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed, his gaze fixed on the small, blonde boy.

"Who's in charge?" He rewords for Sunny's benefit.

Sunny shrugs both shoulders and looks to the four of them. "I dunno… who's in charge?" He asks them.

They're all caught a bit unawares by the question; but its answer comes almost automatically. Two pairs of eyes shift to Blair, while one remains steadfastly fixed on Sunny.

Blair nods at Nate and Serena, benevolent in their acquiescence to her authority. And then she pokes Chuck in the ribs, shifting in his hold, "Hey!" She says.

He starts, looks over at her, "What?"

"Who's in charge?"

He smirks at her, "Is that a trick question?"

Nate and Serena can't help it; they instinctively exchange amused grins, because there's nothing quite like watching Chuck and Blair bicker.

"_No, _Bass, it's not a trick question," Blair snaps, "Who is in charge?"

He shrugs one shoulder, "Aren't I always?"

Sunny giggles.

"Hey!" Cash snaps, clapping his hands together to get the little boy's attention, "If I'm helping you, no having conversations with invisible people unless you tell me what's going on, got it?"

"Oh," Sunny says very seriously, looking over at him, "Okay. C says he's always in charge..."

"He is _not _in charge," Blair cries, pulling out of Chuck's hold. He lets her, watches with dark eyes glittering with amusement. She stands a pace away from him and glowers.

Sunny giggles again. "B says he's not."

"And he's not," Blair confirms. Serena and Nate shake their heads a little bit; exchange another wry glance—that turns hesitant a moment later, though neither one looks away.

Cash frowns, "Where exactly is each person standing?"

"Oh," Sunny says again, tilting his head to one side, as he hops around the living room pointing them out, "Um… C is here and B is by him and then S is by her and N's right there…"

Cash nods and then he straightens a little and lifts his gaze to the space occupied by Blair. His dark eyes ending up fixed right on her face somehow, "Tell _me," _he says with soft emphasis, "Exactly what it is you need to disappear from here?"

The implication is clear; he wants them gone. And for a moment the living room is silent, Blair blinks at him, stares; because his gaze is so intent, it feels as if he could actually _see_ her.

And then Chuck frowns. "No one said she was in charge."

Blair smirks, looks triumphant as she glances over at him, "Obviously, he inherits my acumen."

"Are they saying anything, Sunny?" Cash asks, brow furrowing a little; gaze still on Blair.

"C says no one said B was in charge… but B _is_ in charge." He finishes with wide eyes.

Cash presses his lips together; and then shifts his gaze over from Blair, right onto Chuck. "Get _over_ it. What do you _want?" _He asks with a thread of annoyance in his voice.

They're all quiet for a moment, a little stunned, the words, the demeanor, the fact that it's almost like he's looking at them; and then Nate breaks the spell, laughs as he reaches behind the girls and shoves Chuck in the shoulder, "Dude, he just _huffed _at you."

And Serena cant takes it, she giggles, says, "Oh my _god_," as she clutches her middle and laughs too, "I just cannot _wait _for this," she adds a little breathlessly, "He's like _you. Both_ of you! And it's—it's _wonderful…_" she continues, straightening again.

Nate nods, clearly delighted.

And Blair glares at the both of them. "It's so wonderful that the two of you can put aside any discomfiture you might have in order to _mock _us for—for _something," _she says emphatically, "That hasn't happened— and might never!"

Serena nods at her, almost solemnly save for the glimmering laughter in her gaze. "Isn't it though?" She agrees.

"Sunny?" Cash says, but he's arching an eyebrow in Chuck's direction, "Give me the play-by-play, kid."

"Oh!" Sunny jumps at that, grinning, "N and S are laughin' 'cause they can't wait 'fore something. And B is mad at them and C is starin' at you."

"Great. So _C," _he says, a little sardonically, "Are you—or your little buddies, going to actually answer my question? Or should I leave you all to Sunny's devices?"

Serena releases another peal of laughter, "Oh he's a brat— it's _perfect." _

"Man, I wish he actually _could _see us."

"Well _yes, _Nate, it would be nice if someone could see us," Blair snaps.

"I can see you," Sunny chirps.

"And we are very grateful for that, sweetheart," Serena tells him with a big smile.

Sunny beams at her.

"Sunny," Cash says his name again, moving his gaze from the space Chuck occupied to the younger boy; he's starting to look a little exasperated, "I'm giving you a half hour with this _helping-invisible-people_ thing, okay?" He looks at his watch, "Six minutes down."

Sunny frowns, "I didn't know about the timer! No fair."

Cash rolls his eyes again, "You gonna complain about it or speed up this process? I'm getting bored."

Sunny opens his mouth to respond, but Chuck cuts in.

"Tell Cash," he says carefully, "There's a necklace… belonging to… his mother. We need its history, specifically if there is anything about it that can induce time travel."

"Or curses," Serena adds.

Blair nods, "Or hallucinations."

Nate shrugs, "Or sparks…"

"Nate!" Blair hisses.

He blinks at her. "What?"

Sunny nods again, listening intently to them before looking over at Cash, "C says there's a necklace and they wanna know if it can—if it can… _induce… _time-travel… what's induce, Cash? And then— then S said or curses… and then B said—halluni—hallunitio--"

"Hallucinations," Blair repeats for him.

"Hallucin-tions, what are hallucin-tions, Cash? Or sparks, N said."

Cash stares at the younger boy for a beat and then he slumps back onto the sofa and throws his back, eyes going to ceiling. "You mean, hallucinations?"

"Yep!"

"Great."

"What are they, Cash?"

"When you see things that aren't there."

"Oh… but—"

"I know... they're really there; just invisible…" Cash interrupts, "Okay," he lifts his head, "Which necklace of Mom's is it?"

"Oh! I drew a picture! I'll get it for you!"

Cash jumps up from the sofa. "Yeah, let me come with you… just in case," he says cryptically.

And to their surprise, Sunny frowns at him. "I was gonna come right back," he says, a little defensively.

"Uh-huh," Cash replies, dropping a hand on the little boy's head and steering him towards the steps, "Unless you saw a bird through the window, or the computer was on in Gracie's room, or your purple marker was on the floor, but the green one was put away…"

Sunny pouts. "I like them all to be the same…"

"See!" Blair whispers heatedly to Serena, "_Told_ you— _easily _distracted."

Serena rolls her eyes and the four of them quietly follow the two boys upstairs. They enter Sunny's room in a single file and the little boy goes directly to his art table. "Here," he says and holds the picture out to Cash. "This is the necklace."

"Nice drawing," he says casually, "Did you actually show this to Mom?"

"Yes… and she was gonna tell be about it at brunch… but then Uncle Greg wanted to know about—"

"Yeah, Sun. I was there," Cash says turning right around and walking for the door, "I'm gonna find Mom. Try not to adopt anymore lost-futuristic-invisible-people while I'm gone, okay?"

Sunny giggles and nods, "Okay!"

And then he skips over to a cabinet and extracts what looks like a video game console.

"What are you doing?" Blair asks him, glancing quickly at Cash who's walking towards the door.

"Gonna play a game… do you want to play with me?"

Cash pauses, "I just told you I'm gonna—"

Sunny blows out a breath, "Not _you," _he says with emphasis.

And Cash turns around. "You're talking to them again?"

"Well, yeah. They're still here."

Cash takes a moment to calm himself, lips pressing together, and then he says slowly, "Right, of course…"

"But, Sunny…" Serena says carefully, "Why are you going to play a game, Cash is going to talk to your—"

"Oh Cash will fix it," Sunny nods at her, "I wanna play, Harm and Gracie are _gone,_ I can play! You can play with me if you want!"

He looks at them expectantly.

"I think we're going to… do our own thing," Chuck says slowly, "For a while."

Sunny shrugs. "Okay, do you want me to come find you when Cash fixes it?"

"We'll find you," Serena says sweetly.

And Nate nods, "Thanks for your help, Sunny."

He grins at them. "Sure! I like to help!" And then he's off, running past Cash out of the room; his little feet thumping on the carpet as he runs towards the stairs.

"He's not supposed to run in the house," Blair sighs.

The three of them turn to her and stare.

It's Nate who rolls his eyes, "Seriously, Blair?"

"What? He's _not." _She defends.

Cash sighs into the empty room and then continues on his way out.

"We should follow him," Nate points out, moving after the boy.

Serena nods, says, "Yeah," quietly as she walks after Nate.

They don't look at each other exactly; still, their arms brush as he lets her precede him through the door.

"Are we going to do _more _with the two of them?" Blair asks softly as she and Chuck follow a few steps behind.

"Hmmm… more?"

"Yes, Chuck, you know, _more. _They're obviously in need of guidance…"

He glances at her, a small smile on his lips. "We could lock them in a closet together…" he teases softly, slipping his arm around her waist, "Worked for us…"

She stares for a beat and then laughs a little, a teasing smile on her own lips, "Right—because that turned out so well."

He shrugs a little as they walk down the hallway, "Hasn't it?"

And she blinks at him, her teasing smile turning tender. The closet had led them here, and here they'd been privy to a world where they _worked _and _well; _where they were in love with each other and good parents and just… together; more together than she'd dared to believe they ever could be.

"Yeah…" she says softly, as they reach the stairs, "I guess, in a way… it has," she shrugs a shoulder as they begin descending; "I suppose… there's hope for us yet…" she adds impishly.

He gives her a smile, the one she knows not many have seen, soft and real; and when he stops in the middle of the staircase to kiss her, she lets him and smiles against his lips.

"Are you two coming? Or are you just gonna stand there and make-out?" Nate calls. He and Serena are already across the living room, following Cash into the den.

"Okay," Chuck says, lifting his head, "_That _is a trick question."

Nate rolls his eyes and Serena giggles a little.

Blair laughs, slips her hand into his, "Come on…"

He lets her lead him and they catch up to Nate and Serena in the den. Cash is opening a door, easy to miss, since it's the same color as the wood around it, as the bookshelves lining the walls. They all look around at each other.

"How big _is _this house?" Nate wonders.

"Am I supposed to believe we all live here?" Blair asks, sounding utterly horrified suddenly.

Serena laughs. "Like a summer-long slumber party, B!"

The brunette groans, "Oh _god," _as Cash walks into the room with barely a knock.

Serena shoots Blair a narrow eyed look as they follow him inside. "You don't sound pleased."

"We're horrified," Chuck answers for her.

They're in a small room now, decorated in hues of blue and accents with floral wallpaper. A desk dominating one side of it, a sofa the other and a coffee table somewhere in between; an armchair flanks on side of the desk, poised in front of it and a bookshelf dominates one wall.

The older Blair is sitting behind the desk, her husband is leaning against its edge in front of her; and they both look up as their son walks in.

Cash starts a little, "Dad…" he says a bit surprised, "What are you—"

"You're supposed to knock and wait for a response, Cash," his father cuts in.

"Right…" he says in half-hearted agreement, "But, I'm on a mission," he continues, walking forward and giving his mother a grin.

She presses her lips together, leans back in her chair; and she eyes her eldest son skeptically, "A _mission? _Is that what we're calling them, these days?"

There's a heavy thread of doubt in her voice, underlined with a hint of amusement.

Cash straightens a little, says, "It's about Sunny," in a more serious tone.

Blair purses her lips, "You're on a mission with Sunny?"

"I'm helping him," Cash says with a shrug.

"And why, pray tell, are you doing that?" Chuck questions wryly.

Cash shrugs a little, "Nothing better to do… plus, he's going around the house talking to himself—kinda _weird, _ya know?"

His parents exchange a look; and then Blair nods, "We know."

"Exactly, so, as he puts it— I'm helping him help _them." _

Chuck shakes his head, "Leave him be, he'll grow out of it in a few weeks."

"I can get him to grow out of it today," Cash says firmly.

"Cash," Blair begins, straightening a little.

"No, really!" He says stepping forward and putting one hand on the desk, "He says _they _just wants to know about this necklace…" he extends the drawing to her.

Blair takes it and nods, sets it down on the flat surface as she says carefully, "I know," and then her eyes go to Chuck for a moment; before flitting back to their son, "We've talked about this and decided that—"

Cash frowns, "Talked to who?"

"Whom," Blair corrects off-handedly before answering, "Each other, and consulted with Greg— we're just going to let it play out…"

"Oh that's a bad idea," Serena murmurs softly.

"We'll be here forever," Nate complains.

Cash shakes his head, "But he said if we just tell him the history of the necklace, then these _invisible _people would go away…" he explains.

Blair nods, stands up and moves slowly around the desk to stand by Chuck. "Right…" she agrees, "Or he could imagine another…" she pauses here, chooses his word, "_Mission… _needed for these new friends to go home…"

"We don't want to fan the flames," Chuck adds when Blair's voice trails off.

"But he's fanning them on his own," Cash argues.

His mother sighs, "Cash—"

Cash shakes his head, looks a little disbelieving, "He just wants to know the history of the necklace…"

"We're aware," Chuck says steadily, "And I did have that faxed over—"

The boy's face clears, brightens a little, and they feel themselves perk up a bit too.

"Good!" He says, "Then we can just—"

"_But," _his father cuts in, "We're going to give it a few days… see if this doesn't just fade away now that things are settling down."

Cash stares at them.

"A few _days," _Blair hisses at the three of them, "We cannot stay here for _days." _

"Things are settling down?" The boy asks, tilting his head to one side.

His mother smiles a little, "The shriek at brunch was a happy one."

"Oh," Cash says simply; he looks thoughtful for a moment, eyes still on his Mom.

"Am I to assume you're regretting not checking your mp3's this morning?" She asks him a little cheekily.

He starts a little, eyes going wide, "Mom!" He cries, almost indignant, "You know I don't—"

She rolls her eyes at him. "Honestly. You think the staff doesn't report it's every movement to me? I do _pay _them, Cash. Your wiring was removed when the tents were dismantled last night."

And Cash's expression falls; caught out and disappointed, "_Mom..." _he complains.

"Your Mom can't allow that sort of thing," Chuck tells him, a smirk hovering over his lips,

Cash's lips pucker in an almost pout as he ducks his head, says, "I _know." _

"And yet I keep finding out about it, Cash," his mother points out. And it's right there in the dry tone of her voice, in the way her dark eyes are inspecting his face critically— the problem is she keeps finding out about it.

The almost pout shifts into the real thing and Chuck laughs a little, "Buck up," he tells his son, "You'll thank her someday— women are sneaky, gotta learn to be sneakier…"

"Chuck!" Blair snaps, and swats him the shoulder; but still, there's a smile in her quirking her lips as she looks back at her son, "That is not what I'm saying…"

Chuck winks at his son from beside Blair, "Of course it isn't."

"Spying on people is wrong," Blair continues.

And Nate scoffs, looks over at his own Blair, "Is this surreal or what?"

"_No one _is speaking to you, Nate," the younger Blair snaps at him.

"It is," the older Chuck agrees and there's a smug note in his voice his son can't pick up on; but his wife does and she shoots him a narrow eyed look.

"So," Blair continues, "We're just going to let Sunny's imagination do away with these _friends _of his in the same way it conjured them up—on its own."

Cash shakes his head again, "But he's like _really _into this—"

"We know," his father cuts in, "That's exactly why—"

"No, no," Cash interrupts, stepping closer to the pair, looking up at them with dark, imploring eyes, "You have to _listen _to him about it… it's—it's crazy… the way he describes them…"

"_Yes," _Chuck tries again, "We know; that's exactly why—"

Cash presses on without pausing, "What they're doing, what they say— he's telling me that C and B are arguing about who's boss and come _on," _he says making a motion with his hand, "We know who _C _and _B _are supposed to look like so it's like they're _you _and that's totally something you do..."

Neither parents denies the truth of that statement and a moment later his mother sighs softly, "Perhaps… he's just a perceptive child," she says quietly.

Cash gapes at her, "_Sunny!?" _

The younger Chuck and Blair laugh; even as Nate and Serena frown at them.

Chuck's counterpart turns his head to smirk at his wife. He doesn't say anything and she looks over at him with a blank expression. It cracks a moment later and she breathes a laugh. Slowly after a beat, she shifts her gaze back to Cash, "I know he's not traditionally perceptive, but he must have picked up on our patterns of behavior… there's no other explanation."

"Then why not just give him what he wants so he'll cut it out?"

Chuck sighs, his smirk fading as he looks at his son again, "Because if his wants change this thing won't end anytime soon—and we need it to."

"He's coming up with _curses, _Dad, and _time-travel. _I don't see it ending anytime—"

"He's… wha—what?" Blair's softly stammered words are accompanied with a waver in her stance and it's enough to halt her son's sentence and have her husband reaching over for her.

She's gone oddly pale and Chuck frowns into her face, studying her, concerned. "What's wrong?" He asks softly.

She swallows hard, shakes her head; but the gaze she's watching Cash with is almost startled.

"Mom…?"

Chuck's holding her arm, an arm wrapped her waist, "Blair, what—"

"No, no…" she says, "It's nothing—just…" she shakes her head again, "He's just… Sunny— he's just got quite an imagination, that's all…" her voice trails off, her gaze glazing over, no longer resting on Cash—focused instead on the space beyond him.

Chuck glances at his son and Cash nods, backs up from them.

"Here," he says to Blair, tugging her a little towards the armchair, "Why don't you sit do—"

She shakes her head, doesn't budge as she says, "No, I'm fine," and then her gaze sharpens on Cash, "He said that? Time travel…?"

Cash looks hesitant now; he licks his lips before answering, nodding a little, "Yeah, and curses and hallucinations… he said he was repeating what they said…"

Blair nods; looks over at Chuck, "Maybe Cash is right?"

"He is?"

"I am?"

They speak together and the surprise in their voices makes them sound startlingly alike.

Blair nods, eyes on her husband's face, "Might as well just give it to him, he's been asking since last night and you went to the trouble of getting it…"

Chuck stares at her for a moment; arms still around her and expression still concerned, his dark eyes roving over her feature for another moment, before nodding slowly, agreeing.

He looks over at Cash, "In my office, on the desk, green folder."

Cash lights up.

And the four of them relax, unconsciously breathing a little easier.

"See," the younger Blair whispers, leaning in towards Chuck, "I _am _in charge."

Chuck frowns at her, "You're obviously light-headed—I'm being polite."

"No, _obviously, _I'm in ch—"

"Would you two stop!" Serena says, waving a hand between them, "It doesn't matter…"

Nate nods. "Yeah, we're getting the information—that's what—"

"Thanks, Dad!" Cash says then, cutting Nate off. The boy shoots his Dad a quick grin and turns towards the door.

His mother clears her throat lightly before he can take one step.

And he pauses, looks back to her and tilts his head again. "And you too, Mom, _thank_ you," he adds, a genuine thread of sweetness in his voice.

She smiles at him, warm and completely charmed with her eldest son, "I expect this will be Sunny's last day with his _invisible _friends, then," she says, calling his early boast.

And he smiles back, self-assured. "I've got it covered."

She arcs her eyebrows as she nods and Cash heads for the door.

The four of them shift away from the door so he won't walk through them as he heads for it. His hand is on the knob when his father speaks, tone soft and amused wrapped in a bundle of careful warning, "Oh and Cash," he says, "In the future, please wipe your fingerprints off of my safe— you know how I feel about smudges."

Cash freezes, turns around slowly, and blinks at his father with guileless dark eyes inherited directly from the man, as he says, "Huh?" With a little furrow between his brows.

Beside her husband, Blair stifles a laugh; not for one moment buying it.

Chuck smirks at his son, "That's right—now cover your mission as you call it. Check in with me before lunch…"

Cash maintains his slightly befuddled expression as he nods and turns back towards. He leaves the room quietly and Serena motions towards the doorway, "Should we…?" She wonders.

"Yeah, in a minute," her Blair says; her eyes fixed on her older self.

The older Blair shifts out of her husband's hold, leans back on the surface of the desk a little, "He was in your safe?"

Chuck nods, "Yes."

"What'd he take?"

"No idea."

Blair starts a little, eyes widening, "Seriously?" She asks, the beginnings of a grin on her face.

And Chuck nods back at her, turning towards her so they're facing one another— that same grin stretching across his own expression, "Yeah…"

"Chuck," she says, blinking at him, "That's…" she trails off.

He nods again, says, "Yep…" and then he kisses her. Both smiling and clearly delighted.

"You two are _so _odd," Nate complains, "Like _always _apparently.._." _

Serena nods, looks at her own Chuck and Blair, "You're like _proud _of him… for like… being _devious…_"

"Well," the younger Blair says primly, "Why _wouldn't _we be? It shows a shrewd competence."

"So what just happened there?" The older Chuck wonders, pulling back from his wife and cutting off any response the blonde might have had for her best friend.

"Hm?" Blair wonders innocently, not doing a much better job of it then Cash had done a moment ago.

But Chuck humors her. "When Cash was talking? You went pale, wavered on your feet…"

"Oh that…"

"Yes, _that," _he says carefully, reaches out and tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, "What happened?"

"Nothing," she hedges, "I'm just a little… tired…"

He nods. "I'm sure you are," he agrees, "And now that the Archibald's are through with their little production, we can let _them _have all children for a week or so, but that's not—"

Blair blinks, "Really?"

And Chuck allows the interruption; nods and smiles sweetly at her, "I say we're due for a vacation…"

Her eyes light up, because some things will always excite her. "How long do you think you could get away?" She wonders.

"A week," he says firmly.

And her smile widens. "I like the sound of that…" she tells him; then arcs an eyebrow, "How exactly are you going to pull that off?"

He shrugs. "It's summer schedule anyway; let me worry about it. You tell me what just happened? Because I know it wasn't tiredness…"

She narrows her eyes at him. "It _could _be tiredness, Chuck. You don't know—"

"Blair…" he cuts in.

She sighs, gives up the argument and shrugs a little; looks oddly uncertain suddenly, "I don't know… I just…" she drops her gaze for a moment, lost in thought. He watches her, eyes on her profile, "He said that—about the time traveling and I just—got the strangest sense of… I don't know… deja'vu or something…"

She lifts her gaze then, looks right into his eyes, "You don't feel like that? Like his imagination is… uncanny? Surreal even?"

He shakes his head, "Love, it's just a phase he's going through…"

"I know," she agrees, "But the necklace, Chuck-- I know I haven't worn it…"

He sighs a little, takes both her hands in his and listens.

She continues, "… and it just feels a little eerie to me, is all… and when Cash said those words—it felt like… like I'd heard them before, like I'd seen that scene before—the way he was looking at us and you standing beside me—it was all like a—a dream memory…"

"You _have_ seen that scene before, love," Chuck teases gently, pulls her closer to him, tilts his face against hers, "Cash is alwayslooking at us like that, trying to get us to believe something,"

She smiles, closes her eyes as she turns into him, "This is true…" she murmurs.

"Sunny's… perceptive, like you said," Chuck continues, lips moving against her skin, "Not traditionally so, but still. And this will all be nothing more than a strange memory in a matter of days."

Her smile widens as she says lowly, "I'm being silly…"

He lowers his lip to her jaw line, presses soft kiss towards her mouth, "Too tense," he said, "I can help…"

"Hmm, you are good at… helping…"

"_O_kay!" Serena says brightly, a laugh in her voice as she makes a sharp turn away from the kissing couple and towards the door, "Time to go!"

"Right behind you," Nate mutters, shaking his head with a smile.

And she looks behind her then, catches his gaze with hers; and it stops her, the sight of his grin, the blue of his eyes, the tufts of his hair standing at an angle— the way he _is _right behind her, bumping into her because she's literally stopped moving to stare at him…

"Hey—you're slowing down the get-a-way, Van der Woodsen," he teases; soft and only a touch hesitant.

And she can't take her eye off his smile. "Nate…" she says his name and has no idea what comes next, but he's waiting for her, those big blue eyes fastened on her face. She licks her lips, "I—"

And right then the door opens into them, right _through _them; they jump back together, screeching a bit. Serena falls back into him and he says, "Whoa…" steadying her as he balances himself.

"Not so eager to get away now, are you!" Blair says laughingly as she and Chuck back away from the woman now tumbling through the door.

It's the adult Serena, all long blonde hair and laughter. She's changed into a yellow tank-top and white shorts and she's bursting into the room like a flood of warm summer sunshine; washing over both occupants and completely impossible to ignore.

"Bla—" she cuts herself off, "Oh! Chuck! You're here…!" He tone deflates with each word.

The older Chuck and Blair both look up, a little mussed, a little dazed— and then Chuck sighs; straightens away from Blair, "Yes, I'm here. Is that surprising? I live here."

Serena shrugs, a sliver of intensity sliding over her jubilant demeanor, "Whatever," she dismisses him; and he blinks, seems to remember then that she's upset at him. Blair stands from the edge of the desk; Chuck takes a step back to give her space.

"Why doesn't anyone _knock _before coming into my office?" The older Blair gripes softly with a sigh.

Serena laughs and comes towards her, "Because no one can wait to see you!" She offers cheerfully as she drapes her arms Blair's shoulders.

Blair leans back from the hug, "What do you want?" She asks the other girl skeptically.

Serena shakes her head, "No really," she says, squeezing her a little, turning the brunette towards her, "I couldn't wait to see you."

A smile tugs at Blair's mouth, "No really," she says laughingly, "What do you want?"

"You remember my wedding?" Serena chirps. And it's the second time they've heard her ask this question.

Blair stares at her for a beat and then draws in a deep breath, the smile stretching in place as she answers calmly, "Of course, I ruined perfectly good Dior that day."

Her husband chuckles; Serena doesn't spare him a look.

Her gaze is all for Blair; bright blue eyes sparkling with joy fixed on her best friends face, "We want to do it again," she tells her.

Blair laughs a little, shakes her head at her sister, "You what? You want to do what again?"

Serena's smile is wide as she responds, "Nate and I— we want to get married again."

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	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

**Author's Note**: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and PM's, I've really appreciated every single one. I hope you've enjoyed reading Imaginary Friends as much as I have writing it, this is the final the chapter-- dedicated to all the NS bunny's! ;)

And HUGE thanks to **Blood Red Kiss of Death** for being such an incredibly awesome sounding board for this story from the very beginning, thanks hon. :D

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* * *

The office was quiet for a long beat after the older Serena's pronouncement; and then her Blair blinks at her blonde sister, shakes her head a little and says, "_What?" _with the wave of a hand.

And Serena shrugs one shoulder, "Well, sort of, anyway!" She amends with a giggle.

Blair stares at her, starts with, "Serena…" and trails off, her expression flirting with incredulity.

"You and Nathaniel are still married," Chuck points out calmly from a few paces beyond them, "The divorce proceedings were barely begun and now—"

"If I'd wanted to talk to you, Chuck, I'd be in _your _office," Serena shoots back, voice almost chipper even as her blue eyes go flinty when she looks at him.

"Oh she is _cross_ with _you_," the younger Blair whispers a bit mockingly at her Chuck; her dark eyes twinkling. The transformation of Chuck and Serena's teasing from scathing taunts to affectionate sibling-like banter had been fun to watch so far; and from what she could see, would only get more amusing.

He rolls his eyes lightly at her, drawls, "I'm certain to recover," with a smiling lilt to his voice.

But there's no comment from the younger Serena despite the perfect opening, and a breath later, Blair sees why— it's because Nate hasn't removed his hands from her after steadying her, because the two of them are watching each other intently as if waiting for the others next move, because the way they're staring at one another it's like there's absolutely no one else in the room...

Which was, _definitely_, not the case; she presses her lips together and motions towards them with a nod of her, Chuck shifts his gaze to study the other pair.

"How exactly are you going to _sort of _marry Nate again?" the older Blair asks, glossing over her best friend's hiss at her husband.

The younger Chuck shrugs at his Blair; gaze going back to her face. "Maybe we won't have to do anything more at all…" he offers quietly. Acknowledging the possibility, _slight _though it may be, that the two blondes could figure themselves out without outside intervention.

The older Serena shifts her gaze back to her Blair, "Oh it's easy, B!" She says with a smile, "We really just want to tell—to remind ourselves how much we love each other, how in love we are, and we want to have you there and the kids and Eric and Greg and," she gives minimal pause, blue eyes flitting for one second towards the side of the room, "I guess Chuck can be there," she adds begrudgingly, "And have candles, dozens and dozens of candles, at dusk! Have them all lit up and—"

"You want to renew your vows," Blair concludes.

The blonde nods her agreement for a moment and then stops, "Well, sort of— we don't want a Reverend there or anything— just us. Something relaxed and simple, like our wedding was… we just want to—"

But Blair is already nodding, a touch of humor in her gaze, "Okay, okay…" she drawls the word slowly and Serena stops speaking as the brunette continues, "It can be arranged… although, five years is a little earlyin your marriage for a vow renewal," she tugs out of Serena's hug again and this time the woman lets her, watches her with an amused half-smile as Blair begins to move around her desk.

"It's not," she whispers.

Blair gives her a tiny eye-roll as she picks up a pen, "Chuck and I haven't even done it… but taking into account recent circumstances— it's a sweet gesture…" she continues, opening a drawer of her desk and retrieving a calendar, "I could put something together, small of course—"

"Just us…" Serena points out quietly and the eyes watching Blair are warm with affection.

Blair nods, her eyes on the calendar, already flipping through pages, "Yes, I hear you, an intimate ceremony. We can schedule it at the end of the month, I can call—"

The same warmth and affection is in Serena's smile as she finishes gently, "… tonight."

Blair's mouth snaps shut at Serena's soft word, her head lifting, "What?"

"We want to do it tonight," Serena clarifies, grinning now; delight slipping into the edges of it, sparkling in her eyes.

Blair stares at her and Serena giggles, "It's _perfect_, B, think about it! Everyone's already here! Even Annie! Eric and Greg too! Tomorrow's Sunday, so no one has to go to work. We can just—"

"You want to hold a ceremony for your vow renewal that resonates your wedding day for _tonight?"_

Serena nods once, flips her hair back and adds cheerfully, "With candles."

Blair is silent for a moment, but Serena's smile is infectious, it always is, and it begins to stretch across Blair's face too, "With candles…" she says dryly, "Of course…"

Serena reaches across the desk and tips the calendar closed. "We don't want caterers, B," she tells her softly, voice warm, "We just want you to agree, to be there like the first time…"

"And help with getting and lighting candles," Chuck points out drolly.

Both women look over at him; the younger Chuck and Blair too. He's smirking a little, looking utterly amused.

And just then, Nate speaks to his Serena, "Hey…" he says lowly, gaze still fastened on her like she's the only person in the world, let alone the room; his hands still on her waist, "Do you—"

She nods at him before he can finish speaking, her hands still on his arms as she breathes a quiet, "—yeah—"

He nods back, his hands spreading, nudging her around and forward, "—okay—"

She turns back to the door, let's her hands slip off his arms even as he slips one of his hands over one of hers; holds it firmly, as he says, "—let's go—" in a quiet, gruff voice.

"Whoa!" Blair cries, as she watches the two of them turn back towards the still open door, "Where do you two—"

Chuck reaches out and snags her arm as she takes a step to follow them from the room, "Let them go," Chuck whispers.

"Chu—"

"I'd really rather _not _do more, you realize."

"Well yes, that too," the older Serena's voice slides over there's, her reply directed at Chuck; her eyes narrowed her smirk almost friendly.

But Blair doesn't take her eyes off the younger version of Chuck, her version. "We can't just—"

"Yeah," he says, tugging her towards him, touching her lips with his, "We can," he murmurs, "They'll figure it out…"

And she holds still for a moment, listens to him. "We did," he finishes. And she leans in a little, closes her eyes as he kisses her.

Through the doorway, Serena and Nate tumble into the den, take steps away from the door; Serena leading, her hand clasped in Nate's as she pauses inside the small room. She looks back at him, knows her gaze flickers with uncertainty, that her hands have gone cold with anxiety… because she's not sure of what's going to happen, of what it is they're doing, of where they're going—

"We need to—" she starts and even to her own ears she sounds oddly breathless.

He nods, finishes the sentence for her, voice quiet as he says, "—talk."

And her eyes fall to his mouth, the way his lips form the word.

The door to the office is still open though and the older Serena's voice floats to them, exasperated.

_I didn't ask you, Chuck!_

Nate's mouth quirks into a tiny smile and she drags her gaze up to his eyes. "Someplace quieter," he says to her.

She blinks and when he starts pulling her towards the game-room, she lets him.

Her gaze is focused on the patterns the hair at the back of his head make, the way the tawny strands swirl to one side and then the other, the way the ends of it brush his neck…

And she makes herself blink, shakes her head.

Nate stops when they walk into the room and Serena registers the sound of a young voice, but when he turns towards her, her name on his lips, "Serena—"

She's already speaking, trying to explain, "She's my friend."

Nate's mouth closes and behind him the young voice gets louder.

"I don't _know, _Mom!"

It's Annie. She's pacing in the game-room, a phone pressed to her ear, Moonie following her steps with dogged persistence, a sofa cushion clasped in his mouth; she's changed into a very pale green sundress and her hair is braided. She's frowning as she continues, voice distressed, "I _guess _we're going back today…"

Nate doesn't look behind him, despite the recognizing the voice; he stares at Serena, her words ringing in his ears, _she's my friend_. He blinks, "What?"

And Serena sighs, opens her mouth to speak, when Annie walks right through the both of them, the pitch of her voice rising and falling with frustration, "I have no clue where he is. I told you, I was out with Harm and Gracie…"

They both jump, startled at the eerie and invasive feeling.

"Oh!"

"Crap!"

And his outburst surprises a giggle out of her, "Nate!"

"I _hate _that," he bemoans as the two of them stagger back away from the young girl, their legs and feet sliding through Moonie whose two paces behind Annie trying to get her attention.

"It's not like it was my idea, Mom!"

"She's talking to Vanessa," Serena says looking to Nate as they walk away from the young girl.

Annie's turning around, pacing back to the middle of the room as she listens intently.

Nate nods, walking backwards, Serena in front of him.

"Vanessa," Serena repeats, "She's my friend."

They're still holding hands and she's walking towards him, but they're both still walking away.

And it clicks then, as Annie hisses _I can't say that to B, Mom _into the phone_, _what it is Serena's saying to him.

He shakes his head. "I know she's your friend," he tells her and isn't sure where to go from there, but presses on anyway, "But it's not like that…" he tries.

Except it's totally like that—and they both know it. It's him dating a girl that isn't her and both of them still wishing it were...

"Yeah, it is," Serena counters, and then throws up her hands, "And I'm not even sure what it is we're even… like— what is it that you—that we're even _talking _about, Nate?" Her blue gaze is fixed steadily on his face and there's a part of her that admits she lying; a part of her that knows exactly what they're talking about, what they're on the edge of— and that part of her needs him to say it, is daring him to say it…

"You know what we're talking about," he tells her, looking at her intently, unwilling to be the one who voices it— not again. But when she doesn't respond, does nothing but look back at him with those big, blue eyes; a silent plea for him to be the one, for him to _say _it even if the last time he had she'd broken his heart, he releases a breath and does it anyway. Because he's never not given Serena what she wanted. "Us," he says the word barely above a whisper, but it doesn't matter, she'd read it in his eyes, "We're talking about _us_."

She doesn't say anything. Just continues to watch him. So he continues to talk. "Because we never do, talk about us; and I know that I got mad at you before and it's not that I meant to it was just— you were so surprised, you know? And— and I don't— I don't _know _why that bothered me and we're not— I know we're not togeth— we haven't ever been…" he trails off, swallows hard as he waits for her to fill in the silence.

But she doesn't, she just watches him, and so he continues talking, can't stop suddenly; beyond them Annie complains to her mother, _I'm wearing Gracie's clothes_…

"But it's just— this place, this _future _place, and looking around and seeing… the way that we— the older us— the way that they just… they're so— just completely..." and he can't say the words _in love _even if they're swirling in the air between them, "And if we— if we were before… and they— the future us are… then I just— I just wonder… where did it go? Where is it? Because—"

Her lips are covering his then, halting his words, flooding his senses with _Serena; _her arms wrapping around his neck and her hands slipping into his hair as she presses herself against him without caution or hesitancy; with nothing but that zealous abandon she's always glowed with.

His surprise wears off almost instantly, lips moving in rhythm to her, hands coming up to the small of her back, to the nape of her neck…

But just as abruptly as she was in his arms, she's gone again. And he's left staring across an arms-length at her, mouth open, eyes wide, and heart thumping wildly in his chest…

Serena looks as viscerally stunned as he feels.

And they're completely silent, except for their breaths, as they gape at one another.

It's Annie's frustrated, "But Mom!" And the way she comes barreling through them, irritation in every step as she paces, that startles them into motion.

They rear back away from the rapidly moving girl. And Serena shakes her head, rips her gaze off of Nate, because she just _kissed _him.

She's moving past him without saying a word, before he can say a word; just moving, because Annie keeps walking through them and _she_ _kissed him._

"Se—Serena!" He calls after her, turning around to follow her from the room.

But the blonde doesn't pause as she stalks into the dining room; doesn't even look back until he grabs her arm, "Serena!"

She whirls around to face him, her hair flying in arc around her shoulders, blue eyes frantic as they fasten onto his face, "What!?"

He leans backwards, startled by the intensity in her voice, in her eyes; and then makes a helpless motion with both hands, eyes still wide, "You kissed me," he says to her, as if it could somehow have escaped her notice.

She stares at him and can't breathe because she knows—

"I know," she says, voice faint.

"I don't _care, _Lynne!"

It's Nate's voice; the older one. And they both turn to look his way. He's pacing too, the length of the dining room; and his eyes are narrowed, voice heated as he continues. "It's your _job._ And as far as the media is concerned I had _better _be in the city with my daughter this weekend…"

Nate's gaze goes back to Serena, dismissing the older man. He doesn't care anymore about his future self, about the future world; everything's narrowed down to this, to his Serena and what she knows.

"Why did you—"

But she's not turning back towards him, she's moving then; and he follows without thought.

"I don't want press here, Lynne; I'll give a conference later this week… not this weekend, definitely not today… no photographers either!"

They slip past the still pacing visage of his future and Nate barely glances at him; all he can see is the trail of her blonde hair and the way her steps keep carrying her further away.

They're in the kitchen, staff and Dorota moving about, when he growls her name, "Serena!" and grabs her by the hand this time, turning her around, pulling her to him, "Stop it!"

She does; and when one of the maids walks through her, she doesn't even flinch.

"Talk to me!" Nate demands, feels a familiar frustration welling up inside him. "You just—you _kissed _me!"

She shakes her head; and there are tears pooling in her eyes, and she's not quite meeting his gaze, "We can't—"

"Why not!?" He shouts it, drops her hand in a wide shrug as he glares at her, "Why can't we!?"

She opens her mouth, familiar words on her tongue and his eyes flash blue fire, "_Don't_ tell me I have a girlfriend!" It's a bellow, would shake the walls if they could be heard; and not even the maid carrying an empty serving dish through both of them can make him tear his eyes off of her.

She doesn't answer; backs away from him, shaking her head, "Let's just—pretend this—"

She doesn't finish, turns away from him again; is walking out of the kitchen, through another maid carrying a tray of cloth napkins. And he follows again; can't not. She's taking the back-staircase, climbing steps two at a time and he keeps up with her.

In the upstairs hallway she stops abruptly and when he stumbles into her; he leaves his hands where they are, one at her shoulder, the other at her waist. Gracie and Harm are standing at the opposite ends of the hallway, a soccer ball gliding between them.

Harm kicks the ball particularly hard, aiming for a square they've outlined in tape on the wall, "Mom's gonna freak. We're supposed to be reading—and no sports in the house."

Gracie laughs as she moves to intercept it, "Aren't you having fun?"

Harm grins at her, waiting for her return shot, "You know I am."

"Uncle Nate and I play all the time in our house," she points out, lining up the ball in front of her with practiced ease.

Harm rolls his eyes, "You guys also spend entire _days _in PJ's."

Gracie laughs and kicks the ball back, bouncing it off a railing and sliding it squarely through his legs so it slams it against the taped outline of a goal; she cries, "Score!" gleefully.

And Harm huffs, bringing a finger to his lips as he says, "Shhh!"

Nate looks away from the playing children, turns Serena towards him. He's opening his mouth to speak when she does so before him, "I can't—" she says softly, eyes fastened on his, "She's a— and I can't… I can't be that girl again, Nate. I can't be the—the secret again, I just _can't._ Even if I—_"_

She cuts herself off with a ragged sigh, runs her hand over her face as she turns away from him, towards the main staircase.

He shakes his head, "No," he says, reaching for her, "Don't walk—"

She shrugs him off, "Just leave it—"

"No, we have to talk—" he follows her, "You said we did and now—"

"I've changed my mind!" She cries, starting down the steps at a furious pace.

"Well I haven't!"

"We're not doing this to someone else!" She cries as she reaches the living room, long strides carrying her across it, "We're just not—"

"You _kissed _me!" Nate roars at her back.

And she freezes, is thankful he can't see her face as her eyes slip shut.

"We could sneak out…" it's Greg's voice and there's a laugh in the pitch of it.

They both ignore him; Nate approaches Serena with long strides. "You can't just _do _that and pretend it didn't happen! It _means_ something! "

"You'd incur the wrath of my sister?" Eric's voice now, low and teasing and Serena shifts away from Nate, towards the sound of it, opening her eyes and taking a step towards where her brother and Greg are sitting on a sofa. There's a book in Eric's hands, even though he's now looking over at Greg.

The living room is as bright as the first time they'd walked out into it and Nate doesn't care. "Serena!?" He shifts around to face her, tries to meet her gaze, to slow her down.

But she won't, keeps her gaze averted— because _looking_ at him is how she'd ended up _kissing _him in the first place. And she can't quite get a handle on the panic thrumming through her, on the need to run, to hide; because she'd kissed him, not because she was five-years-old and loved the way it sounded when he laughed, not because she was fifteen and too buzzed and awed by his grin to stop it, but because she— because it was right _there _and she—she _knew…_

_And he's always loved you._

Blair's voice echoes in her ears then and she gasps, a hand coming to her mouth as Greg grins at Eric and drops across his lap, reaching up to take the book out of Eric's hands and laying it across his stomach, "Yeah. I'm okay with that," he answers teasingly; and Serena rushes past them.

She knows Nate's following her as she practically runs through the living room and towards the foyer.

"Just talk to me! Say something!" He pleads then and when he grabs her hand again she whirls around and pulls it free.

"I can't!" She shouts, "I can't say—"

She's going to cry, can feel it; and by the way he backs up, she knows he can see it.

He's looking at her with furrowed brows and a puckered mouth, with wide eyes and a gaze full of distress and confusion; and it breaks her heart.

She pushes past him, back into the living room, "Let's just— let's find Chuck and Blair and then Cash and— and get _out _of here," she mutters, voice tight, still not looking at him.

And he can't figure out how this all went so wrong…

In the living room, Greg and Eric have stood from the sofa and are now staring in open amusement at a tousled-looking Candace and Liam. Greg's holding the door to the closet open and Eric is grinning, an eyebrow arched, as the pair straightens themselves; there's a blush of color on Candace's pale cheeks as she runs a hand through her hair.

"So," Eric teases his nephew, "That's some movie you two are watching."

"We _missed _the movie," Liam says, looking not quite upset about it.

Greg nods expansively, "And you're in the closet because…?"

Liam rolls his eyes. "This house is _full _of people."

Serena slides to a stop to avoid running through Eric. Nate is right behind her, moving around to face her, sliding through Liam without a seconds thought.

He's looking into her face with all that heartbreak on his expression as he blows out a hitching breath. "Just stop it!" He cries, "Just— god, would you just— _stop_ running from me!" His voice is a frustrated plea and her tears spill at the sound of it.

She lifts a hand quickly to wipe them away, but he still flinches at that sight of them; feels remorse flutter through him as he watches her rub at her cheeks. There's more conversation going on around them, Candace's soft voice and Greg's amused one, but all he sees are those tears and all he can hear is her silence.

…_tell her again_

And it's Chuck's words then, slipping into the silence inside him, and he doesn't even think about it, just takes a step towards her and does it, "I'm not over you, you know…"

There's such sincerity on his face, such devotion in his eyes; it makes Serena shudder with emotion, with the want of him, with everything— love and desire and need and tenderness— that's been building inside of her for longer than she likes to think; she takes a step back, brushes into Candace and takes another step backwards to be clear of her, "Nate—"

He follows her, those blue eyes fixed on her face so fiercely she can feel it. She won't stop backing up, won't meet his gaze as she murmurs hazily, "Please… don't…" her voice is low as they cross the threshold of the open closet door.

He doesn't stop following her, matches each of her steps all the way, until she's backed herself against the very far wall of the closet. No where left to run; he stands less than arms length away and he doesn't touch her.

He tells her, "I never have been," and then he draws in a deep, quick breath and doesn't think, "I'm never going to be," and he tells her again, "And we can make this right— _us_," and this time he adds, "We _are _right. Don't you _feel_ that?"

It's a breath of time and then her gaze lifts to his; he can see fresh tears in her eyes despite the dim lighting inside the closet, but he still doesn't touch her. Knows somehow, it'll unravel them both when he does.

Serena tries to blink back the tears, "You—you know I do, you—"

"Then let's—"

"You're commi—"

"And if I wasn't?" He interrupts her, hears Chuck again, _clear off your lap so she can fall into it, _and presses on, "If I didn't have a girlfriend?"

Serena shakes her head, "You can't just— just _do_ that, Nate." And she stares at him— he's so _cavalier_ about it. She blows out a breath, latches on to a rising wisp of anger because that, at least, is clear, "And you can't just— you only want me when you can't have me!" She accuses.

He blinks at her, honestly surprised. "Are you kidding!?" He gasps, "I've _always_ wanted— aren't you listening to me!? I—"

"You've been broken up with Blair for a long time, Nate, and it's _now_ that—"

"And you've been with Dan!" He shouts, "Or that—that _artist _guy or the _con-_artist or—or _Carter Baizen—"_

"Don't _do_ that!" She scowls, "Or do want me to list out all _your _post-Blair hook-ups! Starting with—"

"But I just wanted _you!" _

The words take the breath right out of her.

And a beat later, she hears Blair's _he needs you _ringing in her ears as clearly as if the brunette were repeating herself right beside her.

Serena closes her eyes, blows out a breath as the truth of it slams into her— of his _I'm not over you _and of that kiss she'd sprung on him, of the magic that's always there between them that she's become so adept at ignoring; of Blair's _he's yours _and Nate's _make this right… _

She opens her eyes and inhales slowly, swallows hard, "I won't ask you to—to—" _to break up with your girlfriend _are the words she can't say; but he hears them anyway.

"You don't have to ask."

And he reaches out to touch her then— wants to unravel her, _with_ her— his fingertips touching her cheek gently as he slides his hand to cup her face, to smooth her hair, "You never had to ask, S, I've always just…"

He trails off there, but she doesn't need him to go on; because she knows. Because it's been thrumming inside her, alongside the panic, all along; and it's as clear suddenly as the anger had been moments ago.

She reaches out and takes his other hand in one of hers, "I know, Nate—I kissed you because I know," she brings his hand up to her chest, lays it over her heart, "It— _scares _me, but I…" and she shrugs a little at him, surprising even herself when a smile tugs at the corner of her lips, "I kissed you because— it hasn't gone anywhere, didn't go anywhere— it's right here…" she taps the top of his hand with her fingertips.

He remembers the kiss— and for a moment, finds it hard to think beyond the rush of _Serena, _the taste of her, the warmth of her against him; but she's holding his hand against her skin, and watching him with intense blue eyes, so he blinks past it and remembers— remembers trying to word his question, to point out what was so obvious— in love in the past, in love in the future…

She's looking at him and he leans his face towards her; in the dimness of the closet, surrounded by remnants of a life they haven't lived yet, he looks into her eyes and he sees it there— and his lips start to part in a smile too, because he doesn't have to pretend he doesn't.

"You're totally in love with me," he whispers.

A beat in time and then, she whispers back, "Yeah," nods a little bit, "Looks like."

His smile starts to stretch, "Good."

Nate's response almost makes her giggle, but she bites her lip instead. "And you?" She wonders.

He turns the hand she's covering with her own over and intertwines his fingers with hers, "I followed you around this house like a love-struck lunatic didn't I?"

Serena's giggle breaks free at that, "Yeah," she agrees, "You kind of did." She draws in a shuddering breath then, her smile stretching slowly.

He laughs at her giggle; feels himself uncoiling somehow, relaxing forward towards her, slipping the hand against her hair downwards, "I'd follow you anywhere," he murmurs, brushing his nose against hers.

"This doesn't fix—"

He shakes his head at her; wiggles his fingers against her ribcage, tickling her, and she shrieks a little, jerks against him as she cries, "Hey!" And he digs his fingertips in harder, grins at her as the pitch of her voice gets brighter with laughter and she giggles his name, "Nate…! _Nate!_"

"I _love_ you," he tells her a beat later when he's certain she's too breathless from laughter to argue with him, "I'm pretty sure that can fix anything…"

She draws in gulps of air and then stretches towards him, lips almost touching his, "Pretty sure, huh?"

He licks his lips, eyes falling to her mouth, "Consider me the Pretty-Sure-Patrol."

She grins, waggles her eyebrows at him, "More like the _Pretty-_Patrol, Natie…" and she brings her free hand up to swipe breezily through his hair.

Nate laughs, swears the closet is brighter suddenly, as he looks into her smiling face, "Means you gotta patrol with me then, S— you're the prettiest there is…"

She gives a mocking gasp, teases with, "Are you _flirting _with me, Nate!?"

He pulls her tighter against him, answers with, "I'm _in love _with you, Serena."

And her grin dims a watt. She stares at him curiously for a beat and then wonders, almost carelessly, "So we're really going through with this—you and me… together, for real…?"

He blinks at the thread of hesitancy in her words, the cautiousness despite the obvious of delight, and it melts him to his core—because somehow _she _is unsure of _him._

He presses quick kisses to her mouth, once, twice, again and again, until she's giggling and flushed with delight and ready kiss him into the same state; and then he pulls back, looks her in the eyes and nods, "Pretty Patrol confirms with a resounding _yes_, we're doing this, you and me, together for real."

Serena's giggles taper off after a moment and her blue eyes suddenly pulse with an odd intensity as she looks at him hauntingly; she moves both her hands to lie flat against his chest as she tells him softly, seriously, "I love you too." And she marvels vaguely at how easily the words roll off her tongue.

Nate can feel the way his face lights up at her words; and he's got a silly grin on his face when he says, "Well, _yeah." _

She rolls her eyes at him, "Can you kiss me now or do I have to be the one to think of it every time?"

"I think of it _all _the time," he defends.

"Doesn't _look _like it, Natie," she insists.

And then she's kissing him again, less frantic now, more deeply; her lips moving against his, her hands clenching against his chest around the fabric of his shirt…

Everything in him, around them, narrows away to her, to just her and how she fits in his arms; and when she pulls back he's dizzy with the taste of her, the feel of her, her scent and the way her hair tickles his arms.

"You should—_call _me," she whispers.

And he's blinking back the stars in his eyes so he doesn't catch that as quickly as he ought to. A silent beat passes and then he asks, "What?"

"When you don't have a girlfriend anymore," Serena clarifies simply, "You should call me," she bites her lip a little and his eyes drop to her mouth again, pink from kissing and bottom lip caught between her teeth…

"… ask me out," Serena continues; and he wants to laugh suddenly, when she adds, "On a date."

He looks up from her mouth, into her brilliantly blue eyes, is awed by the way her dark-blonde lashes curl upwards, and then does laugh when she bumps her forehead against his. "Think you can handle that, Archibald?"

And he thinks he can; he looks into her jubilant expression and is enchanted by her, can see how he'll call her and ask her to a movie and how she'll giggle and say yes, how he'll show up wearing jeans and a dress shirt with flowers, _daisies_, he thinks; can see how she'll wear tight jeans and high-heeled boots and throw her arms around his neck when she opens the door, how he'll spin her around and out of the apartment, how they'll walk the streets trying to decide what to watch, how he'll buy her animal crackers from a street cart and she'll name them all before they meet an untimely demise at both their mouths, can see that they'll never make it to the movie because he'll hold her hand and dare her to take the subway, they'll get off at SoHo and buy trinkets and beads off of tables, they'll laugh so much their sides will hurt and she'll make him give her a piggy-back ride when her feet hurt… can see he'll kiss her at the door when he takes her home and she'll giggle at him and roll her eyes, she'll pull him inside and they'll lie on her bed and they'll watch _Finding Nemo_ on her laptop, they'll repeat _fish are friends, not food _to each other until he cheats by tickling her and she retaliates by puckering her lips and—

She pats his cheek lightly, "Nate…"

Her touch, her voice, startles him and he blinks the images away.

"Yeah," he says huskily, leaning in to kiss her again, "I can handle it."

He kisses her, lightly at first, until she starts kissing back and then the rhythm that is _them _fills his senses like an achingly familiar memory and he pulls her closer; she makes a purring sound at the back of her throat and he responds in kind. He's losing track of himself again, knowing nothing but her as the room outside his closed lids spins around them…

"Oh wonderful— we're off trying to successfully engineer a way home and you two are making out in a closet…"

Blair's voice doesn't make Nate and Serena jump apart, but it does have them lifting their heads— well, that or the need for air; it's one of the two, they're certain. They smile at each other without turning to face the brunette.

And when Blair adds, "Just _lovely,"_ they can't contain their laughter, Serena's hand comes up to cover her mouth as giggles spill out and Nate's grinning so big it feels like it'll stretch off his face. They're breathless from kissing and flushed from each other and nothing Blair can say is going to change that.

But the look in their friend's sparkling eyes when they do finally shift to face her, says she wouldn't want to anyway. She looks oddly triumphant and beside her Chuck is smirking.

"And this proves," Chuck drawls, eyes slipping over to Blair, "That I was right."

She huffs, sends him a quick glare and then returns her gaze to the two blondes, "We've been looking for you, we have to find Sunny."

Nate nods, steps back a little and Serena steps forward, his hand still resting on her hip.

"You're not even going to ask us?" Serena wonders, laughter in her tone.

Blair blinks, not quite smirking, "Ask you what? About why your son and his girlfriend are sitting outside this open door being lectured by Eric and mocked by Greg in an odd tandem that I think is designed to utterly humiliate…?"

Serena gapes at her friend, "Oh, um, I think… they were…"

"Making out in a closet?" Blair finishes, definitely smirking now, "Yeah we got that."

Nate shakes his head, "No, not that," he says as he makes a waving motion between himself and Serena, "Uh, about _this. _The two of us…"

Blair rolls her eyes and Chuck presses his lips together, manages to look bored and vaguely frustrated, "We have matters a bit more urgent to handle than listening to the two if you expand upon a perfectly clear-cut situation, Nathaniel."

Blair nods. "You're in love and you're making out, congratulations," she summarizes, before adding a touch hysterically, "And you should know that the necklace is a _dead-end…"_

That pronouncement makes both Serena and Nate jolt, eyes going wide.

"What!?"

"But how!?"

"We went to find Cash," Blair tells them, "He was in Chuck's office, reading the—"

"In _my chair," _Chuck interrupts.

And by the heated scowl Blair directs at him, they can tell it's not a welcome interruption, "Would you get _over _that!" She snaps.

"I was _never _allowed in my father's chair."

"You're going to do things _differently_ with your kids!"

"Not _everything _should be different."

"Could you guys get back to the _only-lead-we-had-is-a-dead-end _part of the story, please?" Serena commands.

Blair rolls her eyes at Chuck and then looks back to her sister, "The file said, it belonged to Chuck's Mom's _great _aunt."

Nate blinks, "File?"

"We read it from the page Cash was reading," Chuck explains.

"Okay, so what did it _say," _Serena presses.

Chuck looks over at her as he continues, "It was given to her by a man that loved her—"

"And she loved him," Blair points out softly.

Chuck nods and finishes simply, "She was eighteen. Then he died and she kept it until her death."

Blair sighs and shakes her head, takes a step closer to where Serena and Nate are standing, "She _wore _it until her death," she clarifies, "And it's, _romantic _and all, but it's not _helpful._"

Nate sighs, "Is that… _everything_… there was nothing else…?"

"The flower inside the pendant is real," Chuck adds carefully, "Says she gave it to him as a good luck charm once. It was crystallized in gemstone and made into the pendant and then the necklace."

"Why'd he give her the necklace?" Serena wonders.

Blair shrugs, "Didn't say."

"People give people they love gifts, sis," Chuck points out dryly as he steps towards Blair.

Serena doesn't comment; she asks him, "When did he die? The guy?"

"Doesn't say."

"Was he… was he eighteen… when he died?" She continues, expression turning thoughtful. Nate looks over at her, a small smile on his lips at how adorable that little concentration line between her brows is.

"It didn't _say," _Blair reiterates Chuck's words; and the two of them exchange a private glance.

"What if he was?" Serena presses, eyes glazed over in thought, "What if… if he was eighteen and she was— and they… had a fight and he… gave it to her… to say he was sorry… what if you and Chuck replicated the scenario like… like _exactly _and— and it—"

Blair huffs. "And it gave us a glimpse of the future so we don't waste time with fights?" She finishes for the blonde, Serena nods at her, and Blair continues, "Yeah, S, I thought of that; but there's nothing about the necklace that would _do _that, okay? There's nothing written about it that indicates it has that sort of power."

"Or explain why you and Nathaniel would be dragged along."

"So we wouldn't waste time either," Nate responds to Chuck's words almost instantly.

And Serena looks over at him with a warm smile.

Chuck inclines his head a little, looks amused by them, oddly _happy _for them.

Blair continues, "But their situation wasn't… _weird— _sad, yes. But we're looking for— for a strange, life-altering, time-traveling situation, and there's nothing like that. The necklace—"

"—isn't cursed," Chuck finishes firmly.

"If it was, it probably wouldn't be _recorded," _Nate says carefully.

Chuck waves a hand lightly, "Don't start encouraging S now just because she'll _pleasure _you, Nathaniel."

Nate frowns at his friend, "Don't say it like—"

"Maybe it's not a curse exactly…" Serena cuts in; not wanting the boys to argue right now, "Maybe it's… a—a gift…"

"That no one makes a note of, S?" Blair questions with a sigh; and then she waves her hand, "I mean, I guess it's possible no one remembers…"

"This isn't the kind of thing you forget," Nate says quickly.

"Maybe it's a side-effect," Serena offers.

Blair shakes her head, "S, it—"

"It's just... them and you two... the circumstance is a really… similar thing," the blonde points out before Blair can finish.

"Except it's not," Blair says, sighing a little, "We don't _know _that any of that happened, it just _could _have."

"Let me see it again, the necklace," Serena says, "Let me see the flower inside it…"

Blair looks over at Chuck and he shrugs a little. The brunette puckers her lips and then nods, humoring her friend; she steps closer to Serena, Chuck a pace behind her. Nate shifts closer to the girls, wanting to get a look at it too.

Blair slips the pendant necklace from her pocket, the delicate gold chain pooling in the palm of her hand.

Four heads, two dark-haired and two fair-haired, bend over the necklace as Blair holds it up, "See," she says carefully, "Inside the amethyst…" she touches the end of a fingertip to the stone, "Right ther—"

Under her touch, the stone flickers, a vivid white-blue flash sparking from it.

Blair gasps, "Oh my _god!" _as she yanks her hand away and rears backwards into the coat-rack of the closet.

"It _sparked_!" Serena shouts, springing back into Nate as she points at Blair's hand.

Nate wraps an arm around Serena's waist as he cries, "See! I _knew _it!"

Chuck's reaching for Blair and muttering, "_Fuck!_" as he steadies her backwards stagger. "We need to—"

They feel the breeze whirl around them seconds before the closet door slams shut behind them. It's alarmingly familiar, exactly how it had happened the day before, except this time the wind inside the closet isn't stopping. It's whipping around them, tearing at their clothes and hair.

"Blair! Put it down!" Serena shouts; she and Nate staggering back against the wind. She's falling back into him and he's sliding down the wall.

The wind is whirling around them in no discernible pattern, making the items hung on racks fall and the boxes stacked tremble; Chuck has both arms wrapped around Blair, one hand covering the hand she's holding the pendant with, "Give it to me!" He tells her, voice loud to be heard over the wind.

"What's going on!?" Nate shouts; disoriented suddenly, the room doing a sickeningly slow spin before his eyes then.

But it's Blair who's falling downwards, eyes at half-mast, going limp in Chuck's hold.

He starts. "Blair!"

"What's happening!?" Serena demands, making her way towards them; she's on the floor crawling over, trying to brush hair out of her face.

"I don't _know!" _Chuck shouts at her, a hand going to Blair's face as he finishes lowering her to the floor.

"Blair…" Serena tries, but there's barely sound to the word; the wind is making it hard to breathe, to gather enough breath to scream.

Blair blinks slowly, the world a swirl of dark shadows spinning above her head; it's too hot and they shouldn't be in here, they should open the door, "We need to… to… shouldn't be… get out…" Her thoughts are muddled, churning as rapidly and as erratically as the wind, flashes of faces and threads of thoughts whirling uncontrollably through her mind.

Nate shakes his head, blinks the odd swirl of lights back from his gaze. "Call for Sunny!" He yells at them, trying to be heard above the implacable currents of air.

Chuck hears him, nods in agreement; at least the little boy can hear them.

… _how could this happen…_

"Eric!?" Serena gasps, breathless; her eyes flying around the room haphazardly as the sound of her little brother's voice reverberates seemingly off the walls. But Eric is nowhere in sight and the wind blows long strands of her hair across her face.

"Sunny!" Nate shouts; he's moved towards the door, is pounding on it with a closed fist.

… _call their mothers…_

"Is that _Lily!?" _Chuck hollers the question; his stepmother's smooth voice washing over all of them.

But no one answers— they can't think, minds ambushed by too many thoughts and images, too many memories and illusions— a party and a pool, a closet and a heat wave, a brunch and a black-out— roiling in a relentless fusion of blended remembrances and fantasies.

Serena can't catch her breath and Blair's shaking her head lethargically against Chuck's arm. The blonde slumps forward, head falling to Blair's shoulder.

The room is spinning, boxes crashing off their shelves, tipping over, hangers falling around them and Chuck leans back against the wall of the closet, dark blurs crossing his vision, enshrouding everything around him as he tries to draw in a steadying breath; the world shudders and lurches though and the only thing remotely steady is the encroaching darkness that sweeps him away.

Nate's pounding grows distant, his voice hoarse as he shouts, _Sunny! _

Serena lifts her head listlessly at the sound of his voice, there's darkness at the edges of her vision as she frowns languidly in Nate's direction; she can't understand what's going on, "Nate… wha—" Or where they are, "Na--ate…?" She mumbles again.

Nate sags against the closet door, says, "Sunny,_" _one more time and then he falls silent, closes his eyes as he falls away into the shadows waiting at the edges of his vision.

Serena blinks, mind a frantic blur of white noise as she tries to focus despite the wind and the nauseating swirl of shadows surrounding her, to figure out what Nate's saying...?

"Who's— who's... Sunny…?" She breathes faintly; but the question is lost amid the whirlwind.

And a moment later, as her head drops back to Blair's shoulder and her eyes slip shut, the inside of the closet is completely still; all four of them sinking into a beckoning oblivion as Lily Bass's voice echoes around the silent space, assured and affectionate, and not wholly understood.

… _they'll be okay…_

* * *

**.Fin.**

**.Epilogue, to Come.  
**

* * *


	21. Epilogue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own "Gossip Girl."

* * *

*******

* * *

It's three-twenty-seven in the morning and she's certain there's some kind of hospital policy that stands against getting up and taking your IV bag down the hall to visit your friend.

But Serena couldn't stop herself from going down to see Blair anymore than she could have stopped Nate from coming to see her. He'd just appeared at her door a few moments ago, looking a little disoriented and a little pale, and very much as alarmed by this entire thing as she was. They're both making their way silently to Blair's room now, after she'd brought a finger to her lips in a _shhh _motion and swung her legs from the bed.

It's no surprise to find the lamp on in Blair's room, with Chuck sitting on the bed and Blair with her feet on the floor getting ready to stand.

"Oh _good," _she murmurs, nodding at the two of them, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, "Close the door."

Nate does so without arguing.

"Good," Chuck echoes Blair's sentiment and Serena notes that their hands are joined together.

"You two made-up then?" She wonders softly, her voice a little hoarse as she sits on the other side of Blair's bed.

"No way does carbon monoxide make it inside a _closet _like that,_" _Chuck says, not answering Serena, "Not enough to make us _sick." _

"I had the strangest dream," Blair whispers before either Nate or Serena can comment on Chuck's statement, "I wanted to tell you about it," she adds, eyes on Serena. "I just… can't…" she trails off, waves her free hand, the one with the IV needle in it, around a lightly, "Quite… _remember…" _

"Me too," the blonde nods, "There's something…" and she too can't find the words, "But it's…?"

Nate comes and sits behind Serena on the bed; lays a steadying hand on her back when the bed dips and she slips towards him. "It's been a really strange day," he says slowly.

And the three of them can only nod in agreement with their friend.

"In the future, you two should really leave the scheming to us," Chuck notes wryly after a long moment.

Serena makes a face at her brother, "You knew about it," she reminds him.

Blair shakes her head a little, "I can't believe you _all _plotted against me."

Serena blinks. They all do.

"You said that…" she says quietly, "In the closet… you said that to us…" she pauses, bites her lip, thoughts hazy, "Didn't you?"

Blair blinks too, frowns a little, "Did I?"

"Maybe…?" The blonde amends, uncertain now.

They're quiet again, the four of them. They'd each woken up in a hospital bed earlier in the evening, Lily and Eric having apparently found them passed out in the hall closet of the Van der Woodsen apartment. Luckily, _luckily, _the door had been open for the mother and son to see the four teens, unconscious and piled atop each other, lying on the floor. They'd been rushed to a hospital and subsequently diagnosed with and treated for acute carbon monoxide poisoning.

"There are sensors in the apartment," Chuck picks up then.

"Yeah," Serena agrees.

"There's no way this could have happened," he continues, "It doesn't even make sense medically."

"Except it did," Blair says softly, lifting her legs from the floor and tucking them underneath her, "And doctor said it's an anomaly," she brings a hand to her head, rubs at her temple.

"Yeah," Nate nods, noting the gesture, "My heads pounding too."

"We should probably sleep," Serena whispers.

They think on the suggestion for a moment, realize it's probably wise. There'll be a nurse showing up as some point soon.

"Lily said she's having the apartment inspected," Chuck continues, "It's doubtful they'll find anything, though."

"Yeah, my Mom called," Blair tells them, "Said Lily's speaking to the building's association tomorrow."

"Jeez, my Mom said the same thing when she called," Nate murmurs, "They're getting all up in arms about this, huh?"

They nod in silent agreement, unsure what to make of all this; of the strange_ almost _feeling they're all carrying around. A sense of remembrance that wasn't solid enough to pursue, of a dream too elusive to track down.

"Next time, just meet to go on your trip _after _work and not mid-day, okay?" Serena breaks the silence, eyes on her best friend and brother.

The brunette's exchange a look and then Blair nods at Serena. "We're not going to leave for trips on weekdays anymore," she tells her softly, and then her brown eyes slip to Chuck quickly for a beat before going back to Serena, "It won't happen again."

Chuck nods at Blair's words, before leaning towards her and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

It makes Serena start a little, the open exhibit of blatant affection. The two of them are renowned for making her cringe with their unashamed sexual references to each other, but the times she's seen them show simple displays of tenderness can be counted on one hand.

"You did make-up then?" Nate asks and Serena shifts a little to look behind her and smile at him.

Chuck shrugs one shoulder, looks to Blair before answering Nate, she nods a little and he says, "Guess so..."

"You don't know?" Serena wonders, a little amused.

"We didn't really— we just… _feel _made-up," Blair says softly, "Like… we're okay…" her eyes go back to Chuck and he picks up the sentence.

"And we're going to stay that way…" he says seriously, his eyes on her face for a long moment before going to Nate and Serena at the other side of the bed.

Serena blinks at them for a moment and then gives them a teasing smile, "Guess life-and-death situations'll do that to a relationship…"

Behind her, Nate scoffs, "I'm pretty sure this wasn't a life and death situation…"

Serena's smile hitches a little at Nate's words, brows furrowing a little as she looks into his face and feels a little dizzy, "You're… pretty… sure…" she mumbles and sways a little.

"Hey!"

"Whoa!"

"Careful!"

Nate steadies her with a hand to her forearm and Chuck and Blair look her over worriedly.

"We should definitely all sleep," Blair affirms Serena's earlier words, "Go back to your rooms…" she tells them, eyeing both boys as well.

"You okay?" Nate wonders, looking into Serena's face.

"Yeah," she says quietly and a beat later shakes her head, wincing a little at a stab of pain, before adding, "Yeah," more firmly, "I just… got a little dizzy… I guess…" she whispers. Her eyes lift to Nate, she shifts her body completely towards him and behind them, Chuck and Blair exchange a quick look, "You're… pretty sure…" she says lowly, her gaze a little wide, "Were you… before… in the closet… pretty sure about… something?"

He blinks at her; _feels _like the answer is yes, but _knows _that it's no. "I don't… think so…" he shrugs, "I don't really remember…" he tells her gently, "… much, after… after Chuck got there…"

Serena licks her lips.

"Me either," Chuck says, "I remember the three of you standing by the closet."

"I remember being surprised when Chuck walked in," Blair offers softly, she's lying back against her pillows now and Nate feels tired then, wants pillows of his own.

"We should… remember more," Serena says tentatively, shifting back so she can look at all their faces.

"We should get some rest," Chuck counters, his eyes on Blair's profile.

Blair nods. "Later this week… we'll get together… piece the puzzle…"

Chuck nods, looks at Serena and Nate expectantly.

It takes Serena a moment to realize what he wants—a moment alone with Blair. "Okay," she says, "Sleep well then," she leans forward towards Blair and Blair meets her half-way for a hug.

Then the blonde stands slowly, faces Nate, "Walk me back?" she wonders.

He nods, standing too, "See ya," he tells Blair and Chuck.

They nod, call out their _good night's, _both looking oddly smug about something.

Nate and Serena are as quiet walking back to Serena's room as they were walking to Blair's, steps shuffling, hospital gowns rustling, IV poles sliding on the smooth floor, and when they reach her door, they pause. "You okay to walk back to your room?" She asks him very quietly, aware that someone could appear at any moment at either end of the long corridor, "You wanna sit in here for a bit?"

"I'm okay," he whispers back, gaze filled with the sight of her, her hair's loose around her shoulders and in the dimly lit hallway her blue eyes are almost luminescent, "I'll just see you—"

Her hand is wrapping around the front of his hospital gown then and she's yanking him, IV and all, inside her room; bumping the door closed with her hip.

"Nurse," she tells him as he stumbles inside, shrugs a little, "Sorry…"

He smiles as he straightens, looks over at her, "Just can't take _no_ for an answer, huh Serena?"

She smiles back, "Not from you, Nate."

And he laughs a little, "You know they do rounds," he tells her softly as she moves towards the bed and sits, "I gotta get back to my room."

She looks up at him then, standing beside the door, hair mussed and smile around his lips, and her own smile slips away; she feels oddly solemn suddenly, "Or you could stay here," she says.

There's a shiver that goes down his spine at the sudden way her eyes pulse with intensity, a buzzing of whisperings he can't quite hear, can't quite decipher, at the back of his mind. The room lurches a little and he takes a staggering step forward.

"Hey!" She cries, alarm in the pitch of her voice.

"M'okay," he assures her quickly as he moves towards her and drops down on her bed, "M'okay… just got…"

"Dizzy?" She offers.

"Yeah…"

The hospital room is dark, but there's an opening between the curtains letting a sliver of light in. She shifts back on the bed, rolls the IV pole to the head of the bed and slides until her back is against the pillows, legs curling to one side. "Stay," she whispers as she makes herself comfortable, "You're tired."

"We're all tired, s'why they're keeping us overnight."

Serena stares at him for a beat, "You came to see me."

He blinks, "Yeah."

Her head tilts to one side, "How come?"

"You… were on my mind… when I woke up," he answers slowly, "They wouldn't let me… come. So I waited."

Serena licks her lips, "You were on my mind too. I was glad when Mom and Eric went home so I could…" she trails off. Then she pats the bed, "Stay."

And he nods, isn't used to denying Serena anything. He shifts on her bed and kicks offs the silly, paper slippers the hospital gave them and lifts his legs onto the bed and slides backwards; so they're both sitting with their back against the headboard and their legs stretched out in front of them.

They're silent in the darkness, listening to one another's breaths. There's something between them, something in that darkness they want to see, to remember, but it's nothing but lights and sparks that flash away too quickly for either of them to pick anything from.

"Our plot worked," Serena mumbles long moments later, dropping her head onto his shoulder.

He smiles into the darkness, rests his cheek against her hair, "Of course it did, we're… _us." _

She breathes a soft laugh, "You can always put money on us, huh?"

He finds her hand in the darkness and squeezes it, "You know it."

They fall asleep like that, heads touching, hands held, and when a nurse wakes them up with grumbled complaints and a tisking tongue, she whispers, _g'nigh' Natie _and he mumbles _bye Serena _before the nurse walks him away; visions of breathless giggles and giddy kisses dancing in their eyes.

* * *

**:**

**

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**

In the morning, Carter calls Serena's cell phone, says he'll pick her up from the hospital and take her home, wants to talk; Vanessa visits Nate, brings him a plant with a _get well soon _balloon, says she was worried and wants to spend time with him; Chuck and Blair leave for the Palace, together, and decide their trip shouldn't wait, they text their best friends' goodbye and leave that night.

It's more than a week later, when Blair calls Serena, _we all still need to get together, _she reminds the blonde; cheerful and relaxed as she sits on Chuck's lap while he has his morning coffee around her.

Serena considers a moment, thinks of the one time she's seen Nate since the hospital, the way their eyes couldn't seem to look away from each, thinks of the faded dreams she's had of giggling under brilliantly blue skies and kisses in a darkened corner, thinks of the friendly e-mails Vanessa sends her on how to decorate dorm rooms and the coffee breaks they share with Dan every once in a while…

_What's there really to talk about? _

And Blair, closing her eyes as Chuck abandons his coffee and kisses her neck, almost focuses on her best friend.

_We wanted—something felt—off… didn't it?_

On the other end of the phone line, Serena closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, exhales slowly as she brushes any misgivings away.

_Everything's fine. I think we were being silly—oxygen deprivation and shock._

Chuck's lips are on Blair's jaw-line and his hand is on her inner thigh as the brunette responds to Serena in a barely audible whisper.

_True... and everything is fine now._

_Yeah… so it was probably just—_

Blair gasps.

— _okay. Talk later then._

And Serena listens to the dial tone for a beat, before finishing quietly, to herself.

_Just our imaginations. _

_

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_

*******

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End file.
